‘Amazing’ Liverpool player has two months to prove Klopp right about his future – RTK View

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Naby Keita has two more months to prove Jurgen Klopp right about his future with Liverpool. It’s make or break time.

Jurgen Klopp had some very positive things to say about Naby Keita earlier this month, labelling him an ‘amazing’ player. He clearly sees a very bright future for the midfielder.

“Naby’s future will be great,” said Klopp, per Fabrizio Romano. “He’s an amazing player.”

But will that future be with Liverpool? That’s the big question, given Keita’s contract expires in 2023 and there’s not much talk about a new one. That’s not to say that the Reds won’t offer him a new one but the decision, as with many others, is coming very ‘last minute’.

And there’s probably a very good reason for that. As Keita enters the final year of his contract, we’re still unsure what his actual position in the squad is. He’s not quite a first-XI regular but there’s too much talent there for him to be a pure squad player.

So what is the plan this summer? We’d say the next two months will tell all.

Naby Keita and his future at Liverpool

As we say, Keita isn’t quite a first-choice player. Both Thiago and Jordan Henderson sit ahead of him in the pecking order, with the Guinean just behind them.

That wasn’t what Liverpool signed Keita to be, though. They paid a large amount of money for a star midfielder but haven’t quite seen that from the player. A big reason for that has been a lack of games, with Keita frequently battling injury or poor form.

He’s only started 10 Premier League games this season, for instance – and that’s the most since his debut season. Last season saw Keita start just seven, the year before it was nine.

And so the question becomes – is that worth a new contract? The answer is no, as things stand unless Keita is happy to accept a wage that reflects on starting a quarter of Premier League games.

The way around that is to show a high-enough level that Liverpool want him around anyway. Or that they’re willing to take a chance on him overcoming injury problems and playing regularly.

As Klopp says, there’s undoubtedly a bright future for Keita – he just needs to prove that there’s a good chance of it happening. If he can do that over the next two months, there will be a contract waiting for him. Otherwise, this will be a tough negotiation on both sides.