Jurgen Klopp has decided to keep Naby Keita at the club this summer as he hopes the Guinean will overcome his injury hassles and become a success at Anfield.
The Reds signed Naby Keita from RB Leipzig for £48million and as Liverpool.com’s James Martin writes: “Naby Keïta is the ultimate tease.”
He arrived with much fanfare and high expectations and while he’s performed when on the pitch the issue is that he is hardly ever on the pitch for long enough to make a meaningful contribution.
The Athletic’s James Pearce reports that Klopp will once again place his faith in Keita and will hope his injury hassles will resolve themselves to give the Guinean the best chance of remaining fit for an entire season.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – APRIL 26: Naby Keita of Liverpool celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-0 during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Huddersfield Town at Anfield on April 26, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
As I wrote last week, I actually think Keita could be set to overcome his injury woes after avoiding injury since Liverpool put into place several measures to assist him with injuries that he didn’t get until moving to Anfield.
Anfield Central reported exclusively in January that Liverpool had assigned the midfielder his very own private physio that would stay with him at his home and work on ensuring that any time he felt discomfort, they could stretch the muscle out, ice a sore joint or even tell the coaching staff that he needed to limit his workload.
Additionally, with his live-in chef already cooking for him, Liverpool told him to cut back on the amount of red meat he was eating to limit inflammation and aid recovery.
Since these measures were implemented, Keita hasn’t suffered a single injury and has been in the best physical condition of his Liverpool career.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND – MARCH 09: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Naby Keita of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on March 9, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
While I understand that many supporters have grown tired of Keita getting injured, you cannot deny his ability and when fit, there isn’t a midfielder at Liverpool that is better suited to Jurgen Klopp’s high pressing style of play.
I love Jordan Henderson but I’d love to see a midfield trio of Thiago Alcantara, Fabinho and Keita at some point.
That triumvirate would have ball recovery, high pressing, slick passing, creativity as well as the control needed to see out a game in the final minutes of a tight encounter.
