Guinea manager Kaba Diawara has admitted he wants to give midfielder Naby Keita the chance to feature for his country during the upcoming international break.
Keita was recently left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury which has seen him feature for just five minutes towards the end of the Reds’ Community Shield victory over Manchester City earlier this season.
Despite being unavailable for selection, Keita was recently named in the Guinea squad for the coming international break, further adding to the uncertainty over just how severe the 27-year-old’s fitness issues really are.
Asked to explain his decision to include Keita, Diawara acknowledged that the midfielder is injured but insisted he believes Keita could make his return later this month.
“Naby Keita is injured and he is recovering from his injury,” he said. “His situation is improving and he is even ahead of schedule.
“We took a group of 24 players precisely to give him a chance to be able to count on him because he is a very important player for us, on and off the pitch, he is our captain.”
Soccanews understands that Keita has concerns over his standing under manager Jurgen Klopp and talks over a new contract for the Guinea captain have stalled as a result.
Nevertheless, Liverpool remain determined to discuss fresh terms for Keita, whose current contract expires at the end of the season, and they declined the chance to sell him during the summer as a show of their commitment to him.