Naby Keita will not play in the next round of AFCON

While all the representatives of Liverpool qualified for the Round of 16 in the AFCON, Naby Keita will play no part for his country against Gambia.

Naby Keita, whose future at the club is uncertain, has been impressive for his country, Guinea, in the AFCON. The 26-year-old, linked with West Ham recently, has won two man of the match awards in AFCON.

The midfielder also scored a screamer for Guinea in the final group stage against Zimbabwe. Even though Guinea lost that game, it showed what Keita is capable of.

Guinea’s chances to go further in the AFCON reduced due to Keita’s absence?

The midfielder will play no part in the round of 16 for Guinea. Why?

After picking up two yellow cards in the AFCON, Keita is suspended for one game. One of the yellow cards in the AFCON came against Keita’s teammate Sadio Mane! The other one came in the loss against Zimbabwe.

Keita’s efforts in the AFCON led to him being named in the best XI in the group stage by The Confederation of African Football. While Keita made it to the starting XI, his teammates Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane could only make it to the bench.

Due to the unavailability of his star player and captain, the Guinea manager Kaba Diawara is understandably unhappy.

In an interview he said,

He’s often been injured for the national team, and it’s a loss. But we just have to do without him. We’ll play the last 16 for him.(…)He’s our best player, so we’ve got to do it for him, but it’s sad news. We have a squad of players, and this is what it’s for

Even though Naby Keita will not play in the next round of AFCON, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane will defiantly be on duty.

Guinea faces Gambia on January 24th, Senegal plays Cape Verde on the 25th. Lastly, Mohammed Salah’s Egypt will play Ivory Coast on the 26th of January.