Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Bayer Leverkusen, Jurgen Klopp, Naby Keita, Werder Bremen, Liverpool, Premier League, Bundesliga
Matthew Holt
Topics: Bayer Leverkusen, Jurgen Klopp, Naby Keita, Werder Bremen, Liverpool, Premier League, Bundesliga
A former Liverpool midfielder has angered chiefs at his new club after refusing to travel with his team-mates.
Jurgen Klopp signed the player in question back in 2018 but he left last year after an underwhelming spell at Anfield.
Having moved back to the Bundesliga where he was originally signed from, the 29-year-old has now potentially burned even more bridges with his latest antics.
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Naby Keita learned he would not be in the starting XI for Werder Bremen's clash with Bayer Leverkusen and so refused to travel to the match on the team bus.
He instead decided to head home, with director Clemens Fritz revealing more.
“Naby Keita found out that he would not be playing vs Leverkusen from the start, he decided not to get on the bus and to go home," he began.
“We'll talk to Keita and his agent about the consequences and how to proceed”.
Plagued with injury while at Anfield, Keita moved back to German but has since failed to make an impact.
The former Liverpool man has made just five appearances so far this term and has started just one game in total.
It's been a sad decline for a player who promised so much when moving to the Premier League under Klopp's guidance.
In fact, the German was full of praise for Naby, even if constant setbacks hindered his progress in the team.
He did leave, however, having won a Premier League and UEFA Champions League, but most will quickly forget his time in England.
“Naby is an exceptional footballer, what a player he is," began Klopp following Keita's departure.
"Maybe one or two injuries too many just hindered him from getting really through.
“But if you go through – and I would really recommend that – if you go through our really big games of Liverpool FC you might be surprised how often Naby was in the starting line-up and how often he played incredibly well."
In Keita's absence, Werder lost 5-0 as Bayer Leverkusen clinched their first ever Bundesliga title.