Guinea manager Paul Put has provided a positive injury update on crocked Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita.
The 24-year-old played the last half an hour of his country’s 2-2 draw with Madagascar in their opening African Cup of Nations match, having been sidelined for the Reds since the start of May.
However, Put is excited by the progress he is making: “You know he had an injury,” he said, as per the Liverpool Echo’s news and transfer centre [26/06; 10:25]. “t was not obvious he participated in the AFCON. We did everything to prepare Naby well.
“He trains at 200%. I think he is physically ready. If he is mentally ready, I think he will start the game. Because there is a Syli with Naby Keita and a Syli without him, that we saw during the preparation when Guinea lost all three games without him.”
OPINION
Well, this is fantastic news for Liverpool, isn’t it? It’s important for the team that Keita has recovered fully from his injury and that he gets time to recuperate this summer. Unfortunately he has ended up being slightly rushed back due to the African Cup of Nations, but that is understandable. Now, though, Put clearly deems him to be ready to go from a physical perspective. The last thing the Reds want is for the former RB Leipzig man to pick up another knock while on international duty, so they’ll be monitoring his progress closely. However, it’s obviously good for Liverpool that he is back playing again, although Jurgen Klopp probably wouldn’t mind an early exit from the competition for the Guinean. Keita was finally starting to hit his stride for Liverpool before going down against Barcelona, which was immensely frustrating. However, he is back now and can hopefully kick on next season.
