There is a sense of convenient timing with Naby Keita left out of the Liverpool squad to play Man United on Monday, amid speculation over the No. 8’s future.
The buildup to Liverpool’s trip to Old Trafford has seen question marks over Keita’s future at the club, with reports in Germany claiming he is unhappy.
While journalists on Merseyside insist that is not the case – and Jurgen Klopp took the same stance during his pre-match press conference – the source seems to have come directly from the player’s agent.
That would suggest that there is truth to the rumours, and Keita could still push for a move away from Anfield before the end of the transfer window.
Fuel was added to the fire, then, with the Guinean not part of the 20-man squad to take on United on Monday night, despite training throughout the week.
Instead, Liverpool have two goalkeepers on the bench in Adrian and Harvey Davies, with Nat Phillips, Kostas Tsimikas, Fabinho and Fabio Carvalho the only senior outfielders in reserve.
Soon after the teamsheet was announced, club sources briefed journalists that Keita was injured, though Klopp only gave a short update in his interview with Sky Sports, simply confirming that he is “out.”
Liverpool say Naby Keita‘s absence from the squad tonight is due to injury, which feels either really ill-timed or very convenient.
Fabinho‘s omission is the big call from Klopp. A lot resting on Harvey Elliott and James Milner (who started here last season) tonight. #LFC
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) August 22, 2022
GOAL’s Neil Jones was among those to report the supposed injury, though he rightly questioned whether it was “really ill-timed or very convenient.”
Of course, it is not out of the realms of possibility that Keita of all players has picked up a last-minute injury, despite taking part in training as recently as Saturday.
But there could certainly be more than meets the eye when it comes to this update.
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