Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool fans to remember the good times with Naby Keita, but admitted that his injury problems were likely to alter the lasting perception of the midfielder.
Keita leaves this summer, with his contract expiring on June 30 and has been given a farewell by the club he called home for five years following his arrival in 2018. He leaves the club alongside Roberto Firmino, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, all of whom have made vast contributions to the club's success in the past eight years under Klopp.
Keita, 28, arrived at the start of the 2018/19 season, with his presence helping Liverpool record 97 points in the league as they finished second behind City and won the Champions League in his first season. He made 33 appearances this season, before injury affected him in the 2019/20 Premier League winning campaign.
Injuries were a recurring theme of his time at the club, but he did contribute sufficiently to leave Anfield with six winners' medals and playing in crucial matches for the club. This was a point Klopp was keen to emphasize in an interview upon the midfielder's departure following the last game of the season.
Klopp told Liverpool's club website: “Naby is an exceptional footballer, what a player he is. Maybe one or two injuries too many just hindered him from getting really through.
“But if you go through – and I would really recommend that – if you go through our really big games of Liverpool FC you might be surprised how often Naby was in the starting line-up and how often he played incredibly well."
Having taken Steven Gerrard's number eight shirt upon his arrival at the club, much was expected from Keita and his £48 million price tag promised big things. However, as with many players, injuries played a major role in his time with the club and a succession of problems limited him to just 49 Premier League starts.
However, with such high levels of success at the club in recent years, each player will have played their part in though their contributions off the field as well as on the pitch. This was a point which Klopp reiterated. praising Keita for having won every available major honour during his time with the club.
He added: “It was a bit a shame, when it was really going well then a little injury here, a little muscle thing there. That was not too cool and that is probably what people might remember as well, but in his moment he is world-class, without a shadow of a doubt.
“And I wish him the best of luck because he as well won absolutely everything here at Liverpool, which not a lot of people can say.”
