Liverpool might not have registered Naby Keita within their UCL squad earlier this week, but that hasn’t prevented Guinea from calling him up for international duty.
This is a particularly strange development considering Keita has been unavailable for selection at Liverpool since mid-August.
The club have given no indication that he is set to return to the field of play soon, hence their decision to omit him from the Champions League squad.
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It was widely believed that Keita’s injury at Liverpool was a significant one which would keep him out for a lengthy period.
But considering is set to link up with Guinea in late September for fixtures against the Ivory Coast and Algeria, perhaps Liverpool, and the Guinea national team knows something we don’t regarding Keita.
It could be possible that Keita has made unexpected progress regarding his injury recovery in recent days.
This news would be welcomed by Liverpool fans. Their midfield is in crisis at the moment and a player of Keita’s profile would certainly be of use.
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The onus on the likes of the inexperienced Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott and an aged James Milner is just too significant for them to handle.
But considering Keita was not included in the Reds’ Champions League squad, one suspects it is unlikely a return to action is on the cards for him any time soon.
To put it frankly, Guinea’s decision to call up the 27-year-old is bizarre. And it’s not as if he’s been called up for the ride either.
It’s possible the Liverpool midfielder would’ve travelled with Guinea to these fixtures regardless as his national team captain.
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However, the Guinea Federation of Football haven’t even noted his injury within their squad selection report.
It appears Keita’s national team expects him to play in their late September international fixtures.
And if he does pick up some minutes with Guinea in this period, it’ll certainly raise some eyebrows at Anfield.
Topics: Naby Keita, Liverpool
Robert Worthington