OPINION
There is no hiding the fact that Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has struggled since arriving in Merseyside.
The 24-year-old arrived at Anfield with a reputation of being able to push on from midfield and score plenty of goals after impressing for Red Bull Leipzig.
Keita finished back-to-back Bundesliga seasons with over 10 goal involvements, but only managed to score a couple of goals and add a single assist in his first 25 Premier League appearances for the Reds.
Adapting to another league is never easy, but Liverpool fans would have surely have been expecting more from a player who is known for chipping in with plenty of goals in his career.
Jurgen Klopp recently admitted that the Guinea international has taken a big step in his development by learning English.
“The last talk I had with him was in English and it looked like he understood what I said,” he said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“That is a big step. He is here long enough now. It was a big step for him to come here from Leipzig with big expectations, and hopefully, you all still remember how good he started.”
That step could make the midfielder feel more at home in the Premier League, but after making his return from injury against MK Dons in the Carabao Cup, the time has come for him to do his talking on the pitch, and prove his worth to the Reds.
Keita only averaged 0.4 key passes per game last season as well completing a single dribble [WhoScored], the worst averages in those departments since 2015, when he played for Red Bull Salzburg.
The 24-year-old must prove that he has not taken a step back since joining Liverpool and rediscover his form from the Bundesliga, and really look to push forward this season.
It is acceptable that Keita could have struggled due to the language barrier, but now he has made that step there is no excuse for him to not start performing, and he must now do his talking on the pitch.
