Liverpool Given Encouragement in Pursuit of Former Manchester United Goalkeeper

Hanover 98 goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler has admitted that he would be interested in returning to the Premier League after failing to start a single game during his five year stay at Manchester United.

The 24 year old was signed as a teenager by Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2005 and worked his way through the academy before eventually being handed a first team squad number for the 2008/09 season.

A loan spell at Northampton Town followed but once he returned to Manchester United he suffered a broken arm in a reserve team game against Newcastle and after eventually recovering, was subsequently released and joined Hannover.

Zieler has impressed back in the Bundesliga and has been heavily linked with a move away from Hannover as he looks to become one of Germany's goalkeepers for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

He has already been capped twice by Germany and is now looking to stake his claim to play understudy to Manuel Neuer.

Schalke and Borussia Gladback are both said to be keen in signing Zieler, while BILD report that there is genuine interest from Liverpool who are expected to lose Pepe Reina on a permanent basis next summer.

Despite Simon Mingolet impressing there is little in reserve for Liverpool and manager Brendan Rodgers will have been pleased to hear Zieler suggest he would be open to a return to the Premier League.

"I had a great education at Manchester United, but did not play a Premier League game. The charm, the excitement is there," Zieler told BILD. "But it does not have to be in the next year or two. I want to play another 12, 13 years."

Zieler remains under contract until the summer of 2015 but he has a release clause of just €8m and Rodgers has maintained that the initial reason he signed Mignolet was to provide extra competition for places at Liverpool.

The Reds have enjoyed an impressive start to the new season and will have genuine aspirations of securing a top four finish and a return to Champions League football. With Hannover currently in seventh place, Zieler may well be keen to move to a club with greater ambition and a chance of playing regularly in Europe.