I went through hell at Liverpool – I’m finally enjoying my football again after leaving

Naby Keita left Liverpool in the summer of 2023 after five years at the club, and has since endured a difficult time with Werder Bremen before being sent on loan to Ferencvaros

Naby Keita has confessed that he’s finally finding enjoying his football again after a challenging few seasons. The Guinean midfielder’s time with Liverpool was marred by frequent injuries, restricting him to just eight Premier League appearances in his final year at Anfield.

Keita bid farewell to the Reds in the summer of 2023 when his contract expired, and he returned to Germany, signing for Werder Bremen on a free transfer.

However, his troubles persisted at the Bundesliga club, leading to his exclusion from the team after he refused to board the coach upon discovering he wouldn’t be in the starting XI for a match against Bayer Leverkusen in April 2024.

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After only five appearances for Bremen, Keita was loaned out to Ferencvaros in January, where he’s been experiencing a more successful stint under the management of ex-Liverpool striker Robbie Keane.

The 30-year-old has made 21 appearances for the Hungarian side so far, contributing to them winning the Nemzeti Bajnoksag I title last season. Despite a narrow defeat to Qarabag in the Champions League qualifiers, they went on to secure a spot in the Europa League league phase.

This season, Keita has already made 10 appearances for Ferencvaros, providing two assists. And after a frustrating period plagued by injuries, the midfielder is relieved to be rebuilding his career in Hungary.

“I have had a lot of injuries in the last year and couldn’t give a lot to Bremen last season,” he admitted. “But I’m happy I’m getting games here in Hungary and beginning to enjoy it all again.”

Keita arrived at Liverpool in a £52.75m transfer from RB Leipzig during the summer of 2018.

However, the deal had been struck the previous year following the Reds’ initial unsuccessful attempt to convince the German side to sell in 2017, before they rejected further mid-season efforts to bring his arrival forward to January.

The midfielder would rack up 129 appearances across his five-year Anfield stint, contributing 11 goals and six assists whilst helping Liverpool secure the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and European Super Cup.

Keita has now disclosed what Jurgen Klopp said to him following his delayed arrival at Liverpool.

“I remember when I first joined Liverpool,” Keita said. “He (Klopp) told me: ‘Naby, you’re here finally and you’ve earned it.

“‘I want you to enjoy it and won’t put any pressure on you – the most important thing is for you to enjoy your time.'”.

“For me, that always made me want to go out there and play my best for him.”

Keita’s Liverpool journey eventually concluded in disappointing fashion, with the midfielder hauled off at the interval during what proved to be his final outing following a lacklustre display in a goalless stalemate at Crystal Palace in February 2023.

He was later sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury. But he harbours no resentment towards his former club.

Declaring himself a Liverpool supporter, he was thrilled to see the Reds clinch the Premier League title last season and maintains contact with several of his old team-mates.

“Now I’m a Liverpool fan and I follow the team,” he shared with Telecomasia. “So last season was obviously very good, and it was very nice to see them win the league.

“The new manager has come in and instantly been able to get the best out of the team – he’s been able to get his ideas across easily and early, which is a very good thing.

“I still speak to a lot of my team-mates and they say that the new manager is very good, which is easy to believe given how they’re performing.”

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