Jurgen Klopp Admits He and His Coaching Staff Have Analysed Key Man's Troubling Disciplinary Record

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool have nothing to worry about with new signing Naby Keita's disciplinary record, insisting he and his staff have watched the incidents in question, and are confident his record won't transfer to Anfield.

The Reds were envied in the eventual arrival of Keita, and he delivered on his debut against West Ham, but there remains one black spot on the energetic midfielder's record - as he was sent off four times for RB Leipzig and Guinea in all competitions last season.

Klopp, however, believes it stems from over-enthusiasm rather than any sinister nature.

He told the Daily Mail:"We watched the red card incidents again, it was just a millisecond late here, too excited there. Young players do that. It was not that he was overly harsh in his challenges, just that he was too ready to win it. Last year was normal with a few highlights and a few unlucky red cards."

Keita's £57.5m move to Liverpool was confirmed last summer, and the player seemed to have his head turned, failing to deliver to the same levels throughout the 2017/18 season that he did in the season before. 

However, he still managed nine goals and seven assists in 39 games - and Klopp insists he was worth the wait.

He added: "We wanted him desperately but we accepted the wait. We didn’t fight, but he wanted to come immediately. When somebody tells you, 'it can happen in a year' nobody in the world likes that message.

"And so he struggled a bit with that, though not too much. Last year was not his best, the season before was completely next level.

"It was worth waiting for him, for sure. Usually you don’t get a player like him. All the other clubs are not blind, so we were lucky we could do very unusual business a bit early."

Early signs for Keita at Anfield are promising, as he played all 90 minutes of the Reds' first league game, playing a starring role as his new side blew West Ham away.