Naby Keita has revealed how he initially reacted to hearing the news that Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old was brought to Anfield by the outgoing Reds manager in 2018 and spent five years at the club before joining Werder Bremen last summer.
The news broke while the midfielder was away at the Africa Cup of Nations, in which he’s helped Guinea to reach the quarter-finals, and he admitted that the upcoming departure of his former boss hit him hard.
Keita told reporters (via RMC Sport): “When I heard the news, I had tears in my eyes. I was like his son in Liverpool and I consider him my dad.”
🗣️ « Quand j’ai appris la nouvelle, j’ai eu les larmes aux yeux. J’étais comme son fils à Liverpool et je le considère comme mon papa. »
Naby Keïta, international guinéen et ancien Red, revient sur le départ annoncé en fin de saison de Jürgen Klopp à Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/ADrEbL72Mk
— RMC Sport (@RMCsport) January 29, 2024
Although the Guinean’s time with Liverpool might’ve been largely frustrating and characterised by seemingly incessant injury problems, it’s clear that – like so many of his former teammates – he forged a very tight bond with Klopp.
It’s a measure of the 56-year-old’s aura that, even when some players have long since left Anfield, they still feel emotional at hearing that the German is exiting at the end of this season.
Keita can always say that he played a part for LFC during one of the most successful periods in their history, helping them to win the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.
For him, all that success was made possible by Klopp signing him from RB Leipzig six years ago and being such an inspirational manager that his exit has prompted such an emotional reaction from the midfielder.