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Sadio Mane has hailed his Liverpool teammate Naby Keita, describing the Guinean as a 'great player' who will go on to achieve greatness, despite an indifferent start at Anfield.

Keita joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in the summer to great anticipation, having established himself as one of the Bundesliga's most dangerous midfielders during his time in Germany.

However, it is yet to click for Keita, who has no goals or assists in 11 appearances so far. He has also spent the last month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury suffered on international duty in October.

However, Mane, who played alongside Keita at Red Bull Salzburg, believes his friend will come good.

"He is a great player and also young. He still has a lot to learn and improve," Mane told Premier League Productions, quoted by FourFourTwo. "When he came he surprised everyone but not me, because I know him. I'm sure he will do great things for us.

"Now he is back with the team and we are happy to have him. I'm looking forward to seeing him helping the team as he can."

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Despite playing just one minute of competitive football since the last international break, Keita played the full 90 minutes for Guinea against Ivory Coast on Sunday as both sides qualified for next year's Africa Cup of Nations.

Mane's Senegal qualified for the tournament last month, but the 26-year-old was in tears after his own fans booed him for missing a simple chance against Equatorial Guinea on Saturday.

The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will take place next summer rather than in January, as has been the case in previous years. This is a huge relief for Liverpool fans, as their team will not lose the services of Keita, Mane and Mohamed Salah.