OPINION
Moving to a new league is never easy, especially when that division is as intensely physical as the Premier League.
Ask Naby Keita. The Liverpool midfielder had Kopites everywhere salivating at the prospect of him rocking up at Anfield, but has struggled to make the kind of impact that was expected of him when it was announced that he would be signing from RB Leipzig last summer, and his place in the side has come under real threat.
With a plethora of midfield options at his disposal, and with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain chomping at the bit to return to first team action, competition is fierce, and when there is as much on the line as the Reds have right now, poor form cannot be tolerated.
Things have gotten so bad for the £120,000-a-week midfielder [Spotrac], that it would seem his English adventure could be in danger of coming to an end before it has even gotten off the ground.
According to TEAMtalk, the Reds could be tempted to send Keita back to Germany before he has made any kind of meaningful impact, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund understood to be keen on acquiring his services.
If this is true, Jurgen Klopp must resist the urge to offload him.
Things might not have gone as planned yet for Keita, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t still come good.
Look at Fabinho and the way that he struggled to force his way into the side after arriving from Monaco.
Now, after a prolonged run in the team, he is one of the most important players in Klopp’s squad, and Keita could undergo a similar transformation if shown the same level of trust.
It might not be this season, but if the 24-year-old is allowed the time to develop, he can still be a success at Anfield.
