Naby Keita Welcomes Midfield Competition at Liverpool Following Strong Start to the New Season
Liverpool's Naby Keita has welcomed the level of competition in midfield for Jurgen Klopp's side following their impressive start to the new season.
The Reds currently sit top of the Premier League, winning their opening four games of the new campaign, while Keita has wasted little time settling into his new surroundings.
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Arriving in the summer from RB Leipzig, having agreed a fee that rose to a reported £52.75m in 2017, the 23-year-old started came on as a substitute against Leicester in their most recent win having started the previous three games.
Despite not being guaranteed a starting berth, the Guinea international admitted that the competition for places is something that can only benefit the team.
"Competition for places in midfield is something that can only help the team," said Keita, speaking to the club's official website for their magazine.
"Obviously the coach will go ahead and make his choices and I am sure he will choose the best players at the time for each match as they come along. That way, everybody gives their best throughout the season and I think it also gets the best out of everybody."
While Keita has drawn plenty of plaudits for his form his season, Liverpool's new number eight is yet to score in any of his four Premier League games so far, having earned a reputation in Germany for scoring from midfield, netting 14 times in his last two seasons.
Despite failing to get off the mark as of yet, he is determined to score for his new side sooner rather than later.
"I'm the kind of person who thinks that if I score eight goals in one season my objective must be to score nine goals in the following season. That’s the kind of mentality I have," he added.
