Liverpool legend John Aldridge has called on midfielder Naby Keita to begin producing for the club after a disappointing start to his Anfield career.
Keita looked on fire for the Reds in pre-season and continued that form into the first few games of the campaign, but his displays have tailed off to such an extent that he is now rarely in the starting lineup.
Aldridge has now claimed that the £120,000-a-week [Total Sportek] Guinea international needs to buck his ideas up and begin to perform for Liverpool after becoming a rabbit in the headlights.
In a column for the Liverpool Echo, he said: “Liverpool need a big performance from Naby Keita, soon. At the moment he looks a little bit lost out there, almost like a rabbit in the headlights. He should be taking games by the scruff of the neck more often because he has got the ability, but you seen him at the weekend against Brighton running into trouble and almost costing the Reds with some slack passing.
“He can’t do that. He needs to roll his sleeves up and show everyone the type of player he can be. Right now, he isn’t doing it. He needs to realise his potential and what he can do on a football pitch because at the moment, he looks like he doesn’t want to prove to anyone what he can do.
“We know how good he is and what he can do, but we need to see it more consistently. He’s never played a game where he’s been Man of the Match, but it is in him. The fact he hasn’t scored is holding him back a bit.”
OPINION
You can see where Aldridge is coming from here, with Keita having failed to perform at the levels expected of him when he arrived for more than £50million in the summer. The Guinea international was one of the best midfielders in Europe during his time at RB Leipzig, and became the name on everyone’s lips when Liverpool decided to splash the cash to sign him. Out of all their summer signings he was likely the one which fans had the highest hopes for, but is now the one who has let supporters down the most. Obviously it is still relatively early days in his Anfield career, but fellow midfielder Fabinho has managed to get to grips with the Premier League well after an initial period of bedding in, and Keita must follow suit. His talent is clear, but as Aldridge notes, it looks like he has lost a bit of confidence or a bit of drive to prove just how good he is. Hopefully that comes flooding back soon and he can play a big part in a potential Premier League title this season.
