One of the all-time Liverpool greats John Aldridge (now a pundit) has expressed his views on the Reds midfielder Naby Keita, who according to him has never lived up to his expectations.
The Reds are in need of a midfielder who can run the game for them in the middle of the park. With the injury crisis rising in the mid, the Merseyside club is looking for someone like Georginio Wijnaldum, who the Reds have failed to replace.
While Thiago’s arrival made the fans pleased and many thought that Liverpool have finally filled Gini’s void shoes. But it looks like the Reds no. 6 can not give you 90 minutes of football week in and week out. Moreover, the midfield ageing is a sign that even the skipper Jordan Henderson might need rest at regular intervals.
Thus, now with Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Thiago Alcantara out for a few weeks concerning their respective injuries, Liverpool needs someone to step up.
Jurgen Klopp has now left with Harvey Elliott and Naby Keita, who was not even on the bench in the previous game against Fulham.
However, Keita has joined the Reds in the training a day ago and looks perfectly fine to start the game against Palace.
Although the Guinean international cant be trusted according to John Aldridge, who has also given up on the 27-year-old.
Liverpool and Football pundit John Aldridge comments on Keita
Aldridge wrote for the Liverpool Echo stating
“I’ve given up on him as it just feels like injuries are always around the corner. You just want him to stay fit and give himself a chance, but it never seems to quite happen.
We haven’t had the value from Keita we were expecting, which is something that hasn’t happened with many of the players we’ve signed in recent years.”
Moreover, the former Red also believe that Keita is just not reliable enough. Keita is one such player who does all the right things but it eventually doesn’t impact the game much. Thus, Jamie Carragher once called him the ‘strangest player’ he’d ever seen’.
Although no one can argue on the fact that Keita has delivered a few remarkable performances for Liverpool in the past. But the only concern is the frequency of such displays. The Reds paid £53m to get the Guinean’s services and now is the time for him to deliver.
Not only Keita but the fans too want him to rise to the occasion and shut the critics down.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
