Naby Keita wants to improve after an inconsistent first season at Liverpool and believes Jurgen Klopp will get the best out of him. The Guinea international was expected to be a mainstay in the Reds’ midfield after finally moving from RB Leipzig last summer in a £52million deal that was first agreed the previous year.
However, the 24-year-old struggled to force his way into Klopp’s side on a regular basis in the first half of 2018-19 and had to largely settle for a place on the bench, while some niggling injuries also affected him. It was in the second half of the campaign where he began to impress, with important goals in April against Southampton, Porto and Huddersfield as Liverpool chased Premier and Champions League glory.
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Keita, whose season was ended early when he suffered a knee injury against Barcelona in the Euro semi-final in early May, admits he’s had to adapt from the Bundesliga and has talked up Klopp’s ability to improve players. He told Goal: “Klopp knows how to treat players and help them, he always talks with everyone on and off the pitch and helps them to improve.
He can make you give all that you have and more on the pitch. People can see how he improved Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and I hope he can do the same with me next season. “I was a playmaker in Leipzig. I took the ball with more freedom to do what I want, playing the ball to strikers and wingers to assist or get in front of goal and score.
“At Liverpool, we have more attacking players like Salah, Mane and [Roberto] Firmino, who boast great scoring numbers.” He added: “My first year was about adapting with the team and to the Premier League. There are big differences between football in Germany and England, and also between Leipzig and Liverpool, in my duties and the way of playing. “I hope things will be even better next year.”
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