By Betsefy
Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita may be fit to return from a muscular problem following the international break after he was called up to the Guinea squad.
The injury-plagued Guinea international has continuously struggled to stay fit during his time at Anfield and picked up his latest issue prior to the start of the Premier League season.
After missing the opening-day draw with Fulham, Keita was back on the bench against Crystal Palace but has now missed his side’s last five games in all tournaments.
Furthermore, Keita was not included in Liverpool’s Champions League squad for the group stage, sparking fears of another long-term injury layoff.
However, the 27-year-old has been called up to the Guinea squad for their fixtures against Algeria and Ivory Coast during the upcoming international break at the end of September.
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Explaining his rationale behind selecting an injured Keita, Guinea manager Kaba Diawara has claimed that the Liverpool man is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery and may be able to play some part for his country before the end of the month.
“Naby Kéita is injured and there he is recovering from his injury. His situation is improving and he is even ahead of schedule,” Diawara told feguifoot.com.
“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.
“We are monitoring his situation very closely. We still have a little over two weeks before our first game. There are chances of getting it back by then.”
Keita has only been on the pitch for five minutes this season, coming on as a late substitute in the Community Shield success over Manchester City at the end of July.
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The former RB Leipzig man has totalled 11 goals and seven assists in 117 outings for the Reds in all competitions, but he has missed a further 69 matches through injury or illness.
Keita is one of several Liverpool midfielders currently ruled out by injury, with Fabio Carvalho, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also out of contention.
Thiago Alcantara returned from his own thigh problem in time for the Champions League showdown with Napoli, but he only entered the pitch as a substitute at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Jurgen Klopp started with a midfield three of James Milner, Fabinho and Harvey Elliott, but they were overrun by the Partenopei in a 4-1 defeat on Wednesday evening.
The Reds will aim to right the wrongs of their loss to Napoli when they return to action against Ajax in next Tuesday’s Champions League battle following the postponement of their Premier League clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers – one of numerous games to have been called off in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
