Naby Keita has opened up about his relationship with Jurgen Klopp following the end of a five-year spell at Liverpool often marred by injury concerns.

Naby Keita has admitted things “didn’t go so well” during his just-concluded five years at Liverpool, but he remains full of praise for how manager Jurgen Klopp has treated him.

Keita arrived at Anfield to high expectation from fans after a £50m+ transfer was agreed nearly a year in advance, especially after establishing himself as one of the best young midfielders in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig.

But injuries took their toll and in his final season he made just five starts in all competitions. Keita was sacked by Liverpool at the end of the season, having already played his last game for the club in February with an injury which cut short his season.

Overall, Keita has never had an injury-free season at Liverpool and has never played more than 16 Premier League games in any given season.
He has now accepted a free transfer to Werder Bremen.

“Even though I wasn’t doing so well in Liverpool due to my injuries, I am very grateful to [Klopp],” the Guinean international told German publication BILD.

“He is a very good coach and a very good person. When I got injured, he took care of me. He kept telling me, “You are strong, never give up!” That helped me.

Liverpool needed a rebuild in midfield and quickly began recruiting midfield with the early signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton. The deal could eventually grow to £55million with surcharges.

Along with Keita’s transfer, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also left the club, while James Milner was granted a free transfer to Brighton. Thiago’s future is even in doubt as the Spanish veteran is the main profile of a possible offer from Saudi Arabia.

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Diáz Scores For Colombia in the Liverpool International Roundup

Luis Díaz helped Colombia to a solid 2-0 victory over Germany in their friendly match. Díaz scored the game’s first goal in the 54th minute with a header past goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

Díaz played almost the entire 90 minutes. It was Colombia’s first victory against Germany.

In the EURO qualifiers, captain Andy Robertson played the whole game as Scotland continued their impressive winning streak. They have now won all four qualifiers. The last was Tuesday against Georgia. The Scots now have a clear lead at the top of Group A.

Portugal narrowly edged Iceland 1-0, with Diogo Jota on the bench as a substitute.

Iceland’s defeat came in the 80th minute when Willum Thor Willumsson received a second yellow card, reducing his squad to 10 men. Cristiano Ronaldo then scored a controversial goal in the 89th minute to clinch victory.

The goal was initially flagged for offside, but after a lengthy VAR check, Ronaldo was barely considered to be onside and the goal was therefore conceded. This gives Portugal a perfect record in four qualifying matches, keeping them top of Group J.