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Come January 7, 2020 at the CAF Awards, two Liverpool players will be on stage when the biggest prize of the night, for the best African footballer, is handed out — just as has happened at the last two editions.
Neither man will be Naby Keita, but the Guinean wouldn’t be bothered, for his own hour isn’t too far off. Right now, he is a little short of the levels of those often out-of-this-worldly teammates — Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah — though costing Liverpool far more than either attacker did. These days, however, he does have his name mentioned in the same breath as both Mane and Salah — on matchday, anyway.
Keita, since arriving at Liverpool in 2018 with a huge price tag, hasn’t had the best of starts to life at Anfield, but if last season was a tough learning curve, the 24-year-old is certainly applying the lessons he has picked up and making the most of the chances offered him by Jurgen Klopp thus far this term.
Already, Keita has equaled his tally of goals and assists — three and one respectively — from 2018/19, and although he hasn’t matched the chart-topping numbers of Mane and Salah, Keita’s goal contributions have been inextricably linked to theirs. Two of his goals have been laid on by Salah, the other by Mane, while the Egyptian has been the sole beneficiary of Keita’s creativity.
“He always gives me some advice on the pitch in Liverpool,” Keita said earlier this year of Salah, who handed him another assist in the previous campaign.
“He’s a nice guy who works hard. When he works at the gym, he always asks me to join him. He looks after me like I’m his little brother.”
Beyond offering counsel and lifting weights, Salah’s role in Keita’s output – especially in Liverpool’s last four games – has been evident, as has Mane’s, albeit to a lesser extent. The imminent return of Brazilian midfielder Fabinho from injury might truncate Keita’s hot streak, but his case for more regular action would have been boosted by this month’s work.
December 2019 has been for Keita what April 2019 was — a period of peak productivity in an otherwise difficult spell on Merseyside — and if he can remain in sync with Mane and Salah (not easy, I know), the former RB Leipzig man could share plaudits — and, perhaps, a CAF platform? – with them someday.
NY Frimpong — Daily Mail GH
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