Naby Keita returned to Liverpool from the Africa Cup of Nations to undergo scans on a recurring adductor injury, and the results were good news for the club.
Keita’s fitness has been the source of fans’ frustration in recent days, after he sat out of Guinea’s 2-0 win over Burundi on Sunday due to injury concerns.
This served as a continuation of the story of his first season with Liverpool, with a series of problems limiting the 24-year-old to 33 games in all competitions.
Guinea’s insistence he join the squad for the AFCON in Egypt has compounded the issue, with manager Paul Put seeming to question Keita’s mentality in an interview this week.
Put spoke while the midfielder was on Merseyside, with Liverpool calling him back to Melwood for scans amid fears he had suffered another big setback.
But according to the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe, the club are “confident” that Keita “will not face a lengthy period of rehabilitation,” and are “not seeing it as a serious setback.”
“They expect him to be fit enough to join pre-season training with the rest of the international contingent, who return later than the rest of the squad ahead of the US tour in July,” he adds.
Keita is not expected to return to the AFCON ahead of a last-16 clash with Algeria on July 7.
However, there may still be contrasting views from Guinea, as there has often been a disparity between the Reds’ judgement and the demands of their FA.
Liverpool head to the United States for three friendlies this month, first taking on Dortmund in Indiana (July 19), then Sevilla in Boston (July 21) and Sporting CP in New York (July 24).
Fan Comments