---
title: "Liverpool: Naby Keita could be ruled out for a while with muscle injury"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-naby-keita-could-be-ruled-out-for-a-while-with-muscle-injury/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Liam Togher"
section: "Liverpool Football Club"
published: "2019-08-20T18:30:29Z"
modified: "2019-08-20T18:30:29Z"
---

# Liverpool: Naby Keita could be ruled out for a while with muscle injury

**Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League match against Arsenal and could miss further games because of a muscle problem.**

[The Mirror](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jurgen-klopp-makes-warning-alex-18964406) reported that the Guinea international will definitely miss the weekend’s top of the table Premier League clash, adding that Jurgen Klopp indicated that he could be ‘[out for a while](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/jurgen-klopp-makes-warning-alex-18964406)‘.

Keita limped out of training for the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea last week with that muscle problem, as [tweeted by The Mirror’s David Maddock](https://twitter.com/MaddockMirror/status/1161332194645880833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1161332194645880833&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footballtransfertavern.com%2Fpremier-league%2Fliverpool%2Fliverpool-fans-losing-patience-with-naby-keita-after-latest-injury%2F), and was sidelined for the Reds’ weekend win at Southampton, as [reported by the official Liverpool FC website](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/360891-naby-keita-injury-latest-jurgen-klopp) ahead of the game.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png)

Injury has been a recurring theme of Keita’s time at Liverpool since he came to the club last summer.

A muscular problem in autumn ruled him out for four games and he was then missing for a period during March before a groin injury ended his season prematurely. \[[via TransferMarkt.co.uk](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/verletzungen/spieler/302215)\]

In all, Keita missed [nine Liverpool games through injury in 2018/19](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/verletzungen/spieler/302215) and those problems continued into the summer, with the 24-year-old [flying home from the Africa Cup of Nations in the middle of the tournament](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48828030) to be assessed by doctors on Merseyside.

His only involvement so far this season has been a [23-minute substitute appearance in the Community Shield against Manchester City](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdaten/spieler/302215) at the start of August.

The midfielder played [33 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/302215) for the Reds last season but scored only [three goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/302215), all of them coming in a [three-week spell in April](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/naby-keita/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/302215/verein/31), while he was limited to just [16 Premier League starts](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/243510/History/Naby-Keita) as he struggled to hold down a regular starting berth in Liverpool’s midfield.

The competition for midfield places at Anfield is even stronger this season with [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://www.goal.com/en/news/oxlade-chamberlain-thankful-after-making-liverpool-return/1n0327j8ddczg14lgqjoyxicvc) and [Adam Lallana](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/adam-lallana/verletzungen/spieler/43530) both fully fit after long spells out injured.

The latter has played only [11 minutes so far this season](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/adam-lallana/leistungsdaten/spieler/43530), but the former has [started three of Liverpool’s four matches](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/leistungsdaten/spieler/143424) and drew praise for his performance at Southampton on Saturday, with Joanna Durkan of [This Is Anfield](https://www.thisisanfield.com/2019/08/southampton-1-2-liverpool-player-ratings/) commending Oxlade-Chamberlain’s tireless work off the ball.

![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png)

Considering that Keita cost Liverpool £52.75m from RB Leipzig, as reported by [Sky Sports](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/11372091/naby-keitas-liverpool-cost-finalised-after-rb-leipzig-finish-sixth), his goal return of three in 34 appearances (one every 11.33 games) for the Reds has been poor.

Also, Lallana and [Daniel Sturridge](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/daniel-sturridge/verletzungen/spieler/47082) can testify that a succession of injury problems can see a once key player become part of the periphery at Anfield.

The former went from making [27 Premier League starts in 2016/17](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/21683/History/Adam-Lallana) to just [six league starts in the last two seasons](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/21683/History/Adam-Lallana), while the latter went from [scoring 21 goals in 29 league games in 2013/14](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/23736/History/Daniel-Sturridge) to managing just [19 in five league seasons](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/23736/History/Daniel-Sturridge) since then and only [nine league starts in the past two seasons](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/23736/History/Daniel-Sturridge) at Anfield before being [released in June](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48519511).

Keita has already seen his first season at Liverpool dogged by injuries and, with a low goal output from the time that he has been available, he may need to come back strongly if he is to avoid becoming a dispensable, injury-prone part of Klopp’s squad.

***Liverpool fans, are you worried about Keita’s succession of injuries in his time at the club? Let us know what you think by commenting below!***