BBC pundit Noel Whelan has claimed that Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is going to go on and ‘smash it’ at Anfield.
The former RB Leipzig man has struggled to find consistent form since making the move from Germany last summer, but with two goals in his last two games, the signs are good that the Guinean is finally starting to find his feet.
Whelan, regularly heard on BBC Radio Leeds, highlighted the fact that Klopp had been clever with his use of Keita this season in order to help him adapt to his new environment.
Whelan has had his say: “He’s tended to have a good game followed by an average game, but Jurgen Klopp has managed him cleverly, which you need to do when a player is adapting to a new environment and way of playing,” he told Football Insider.
“It’s pleasing to see him finally settling in. He offers something different to the other Liverpool midfielders, because he can drive forward with the ball, take players out of the game and open up space for others. I’m convinced he will smash it at Liverpool. They tracked him for such a long time, but the signs are it is going to be worth it.”
OPINION
Whelan is right, Keita does possess a slightly different skill-set to most of Liverpool’s other midfielders. He is attack-minded by nature, always looking to drive forward with the ball or find a teammate further forward with an incisive pass. That creativity and that willingness to go forward is what the Reds have been missing while he’s been struggling to adapt to English football. This last week has been hugely encouraging for the 24-year-old, though. There might have been a touch of fortune about his goals against both Southampton and Porto, but the big thing is that he was in the right positions to score, he took an attempt and that, ultimately, his name ended up on the scoresheet. That will give him a big boost moving forward and he must be riding a huge confidence wave at the moment. Hopefully he can keep his fine form going against Chelsea on Sunday and really kick on down the back-end of the season.
