Naby Keita
By his own admission, Naby Keita is yet to give a true representation of himself at Liverpool. Nearly four years into his time at Anfield, the Guinea midfielder recently admitted Reds fans have not seen him in full flight since his £52m switch from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2018.
Naby Keita said: “I don’t believe we’ve seen the real Naby Keita just yet. I’ve had quite a few injuries so I’m trying to come back gradually to full form and fitness. The coach is trying to do that with me too.”
Keita, of course, is right to reference his fitness record. It has been the single main reason why the Reds’ No.8 still feels as though he has not truly lived up to the hype he arrived with by becoming the third most expensive footballer in Liverpool history.
Naby Keita said: “And it’s my aim to try and establish myself and be seen in the world of football and I guess we’ll see how that goes, either this season or the next.”
Keita’s litany of injuries have stacked up since he joined the club, but there has been no one singular setback that can be highlighted as the major reason for his apparent inability to become a Liverpool regular. Hamstrings issues, ligament damage, groin strains, ankle problems, illness and COVID-19 have all stunted progress during his time as a Liverpool player and manager Jurgen Klopp said that he agrees with Keita’s assessment.
Jurgen Klopp said: “I am not surprised, I think the same. We had moments where we saw Naby because he is an incredible player but injuries and things like this he couldn’t get real rhythm and now he is in a different situation.”
Klopp is correct to highlight the “different situation” Keita currently finds himself in. In many ways, it is uncharted territory for him at Anfield A two-week knee problem in March aside, Keita has been fit for the entirety of 2022, giving Klopp another valuable midfield option to choose from as he continues to rest and rotate as the fight on all fronts goes on at Anfield. His 35 appearances across all competitions is already the best return of his Liverpool career with five games still to be played and you have to go back to a hamstring problem throughout November to find Keita’s last lengthy absence.
Jurgen Klopp said: “This is probably the longest spell he has had without an injury, but no I am not surprised [about the comments]. I understand these questions about contracts but the club is in talks with all the agents and all the people,” Klopp said in March, hinting at a new deal for a player whose current terms expire next summer, but so far, like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, few details have been forthcoming on that front.
Fit and ready for a recall at Aston Villa on Tuesday night, Keita is also in contention for what would represent the biggest start of his Liverpool career in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
