Jamie Carragher has labelled Liverpool’s Naby Keita as the strangest player he’s ever seen.
Speaking to the Blood Red: Liverpool FC podcast, Carragher claimed that he’s baffled by some of the Liverpool’s man’s displays.
“He’s the strangest player I’ve ever seen,” said Carra. “I’ll watch him play and not be convinced then I’ll go on Twitter and someone’s put some stats up (to show he’s played well). He almost ticks the boxes for all that if you’re crunching the numbers.
“I know we do that on the TV and I know that’s how Liverpool look at players, I get all that, but no one can convince me that Keita’s been a success for Liverpool.”
Carragher claims that Liverpool fans may be feeling short-changed by Keita’s Anfield career.
“He’s done well, he’s done okay, he’s got a year to go and the club still haven’t given him that new contract,” he said.
“If everyone’s fit it’s still a toss-up whether he’s in the first eleven. So Jurgen Klopp has never really consistently picked him besides maybe the first three or four months in a Liverpool shirt. He’s done well, but it’s not what we thought we were getting.”
The two sides of Naby Keita
Keita is certainly a player who divides opinion amongst Liverpool fans. That’s largely because of what Carragher is saying here. He doesn’t always pass the eye-test during a game, but his underlying numbers are always impressive.
Since the 27-year-old signed for around £50m in 2018, he has never properly been able to get going. That’s largely been due to injuries, but it has led to frustration in some areas.
Despite this, he has still had his moments. His arrival has also coincided with a glorious period of success for the club.
Naby hasn’t always been the first name on the teamsheet, but he has contributed to that nevertheless.
Golden chance for Naby
There is an increasingly likely chance that Keita will have a golden opportunity to silence the doubters this weekend.
With Thiago Alcantara and Fabinho struggling for fitness, he could be in line to start the Champions League final.
After also playing from the beginning in the FA and Carabao Cup finals, no one can accuse him of not stepping up for Liverpool this season.
He has played more games this season than in any other for The Reds. Should he play some part at the Stade de France, it will be his 40th appearance of the campaign.
With a contract running into its final year, Keita has looked to do enough to be granted a renewal. A good performance on Saturday, and he can potentially make sure of that.
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