Jamie Carragher says Liverpool must wait to see if Naby Keita can ignite in a Reds shirt over the next few months and cannot lose patience with him.
So far in his Reds career, Keita has struggled with small injuries which have come at the most inconvenient times, but the fact he started the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at Camp Nou shows how highly Jurgen Klopp rates him.
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The Reds have rarely got a transfer wrong over the last few years, but Keita is perhaps the one who still has question marks surrounding him after his £52 million switch from RB Leipzig.
Speaking to TalkSport, via the Daily Express, Carragher said: “Liverpool have a world-class goalkeeper and back four, a world-class front three, but I just think they have a top-class midfield, without it being world-class.
“Fabinho in that holding position is as good as anyone in that position.
“I think the one, before Liverpool look into the transfer market, is Naby Keita. Liverpool are still waiting for him to take off, really. It was a big transfer fee when he come in, didn’t quite hit the ground running, had some good games, some injuries.”
Carragher went on to say that the club feel Keita needs another 12 months to prove himself before they think about a replacement. Getting the Guinean minutes on the pitch, however, will be difficult while the Reds continue to win every week.
Keita is likely to be on the bench when the Reds face Manchester United next weekend in the Premier League. If he can get onto the pitch and make an impact, there would be no better game to kick-start his Anfield career.