Naby Keita looks set to return to Liverpool in time to face Leeds United after booking a private jet to leave Guinea, according to journalist Amadou Makadji.
After soldiers staged a presidential coup, Liverpool’s concerns are understandably on the safety of Naby Keita but the midfielder could soon return to England.
Guinea’s air routes have been opened again and Keita has booked a 13-seater jet for him and some of his teammates to return to the United Kingdom.
Les joueurs guinéens s’organisent pour rejoindre leurs clubs
Naby Keita a déjà réservé un jet privé de 13 places pour voyager avec quelques uns de ses coéquipiers
L’avion attend une autorisation d’atterrissage pour rallier Conakry
En attendant, ils sont à l’hôtel en sécurité
— Thierno Amadou Makadji (@ThAmadouMakadji) September 6, 2021
While the priority is his safety, Jurgen Klopp will be relieved to know that Keita will return to England in time to train and be in contention to face Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday.
Liverpool signed the former RB Leipzig star for £52m (€60m) and he rejected Barcelona and Bayern Munich down to join the Reds and this season is crucial in the future of his career at the club.
After being dropped against Chelsea for Harvey Elliott, it looked as though the midfielder had fallen down in the midfield pecking order.
However, Elliott’s inclusion didn’t have the same effect as it did against Burnley as the Reds seemed imbalanced on the right-hand side as Trent and Salah seemed to be competing with the teenager for space on the right flank.
If Klopp doesn’t opt to start a trio of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago, I’d expect to see Naby Keita return to the starting XI against Leeds or against AC Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
It was very interesting to see Elliott start ahead of Keita against Chelsea and while I personally felt it was the wrong move in terms of the tactical makeup of the game, it speaks to how highly Klopp rates the teenager.
Supporters on social media enjoy debating who is the best young player in the Premier League but it will be interesting to see where Elliott fits into the conversation after a year in the Liverpool first team.
