Klopp says he never doubted Keita’s quality

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he has never doubted the quality of midfielder Naby Keita despite the Guinea international’s limited impact since his arrival at Anfield last year.

Keita has been confined to a bitpart role since his £52.75 million ($69 million) move from RB Leipzig in July 2018 and before Saturday had played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this season.

But the 24-year-old, whose Anfield career has been disrupted by injuries, gave a reminder of his ability with a goal and an assist on his first top-flight start of the campaign in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Bournemouth.

Klopp, who has reassured Keita about his lack of firstteam opportunities, admits the relentless form of his league leaders and a series of tight matches have made it difficult to give him minutes.

“Naby had injuries, the team is in really good shape, so then do you change?,” said Klopp