Liverpool’s 24-man squad for the Champions League group stage has been named and Naby Keita was a notable absence, leaving fans with plenty to say upon hearing the news.
Jurgen Klopp will see his team kick off their European campaign in Napoli on Wednesday, this being the opening Group A match before clashes with Ajax and Rangers.
Liverpool are not without injury despite welcoming a number of faces over the past week, but several of those currently sidelined have been named in the 24-man squad.
But unlike Jordan Henderson and Calvin Ramsay, Keita has been omitted from the team along with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Klopp confirmed ahead of the Merseyside derby that the pair will be out “for a while” with respective injuries, with their absences suggesting it’s still long term for the duo.
However, Keita’s name is the one that got fans talking, with many feeling that something was not right with his absence from the team.
Something is going on with Naby Keita. Not just the injury. No idea what, but he won’t be here next season.
— Jordan Chamberlain (@Jordan_AC90) September 4, 2022
Keita being left out of the Champions League squad tells you everything you need to know.
— Jamie Holme (@JamieHolme) September 4, 2022
Something feels wrong with this Keita situation.
— Joel Rabinowitz (@joel_archie) September 4, 2022
If it was just a normal muscle injury, Keita would be on the team. There are 6 CL games for months. He wishes journalists would not dodge the question and ask Klopp more directly. He only had a tentative question once and Klopp dismissed it. https://t.co/CrjwgPav1R
— Red (@TaintlessRed) September 4, 2022
#Keita and #UCL. I’m not surprised. I’m not sure what’s going on behind the scenes, but I get the impression he wants to leave. We should leave it. Nothing worse than a player who doesn’t want to stay in the #LFC.
— BootRoomYNWA1892 (@BYnwa1892) September 4, 2022
It’s a great shame for Keita, he finally turned around halfway through last season and was vital; it still is as we suffer with limited options.
Unfortunately, it has to go down as a flop, it didn’t live up to the hype or the £52m price tag.
— ???? (@_shivam99) September 4, 2022
We will probably never see Keita play for LFC again. He may be injured, but there is definitely more at stake. Really disappointing. The skill is definitely there. You can debate why all day, but his LFC career was definitely disappointing. It’s time to move on for everyone.
— LFC Canuck ?? (@LFCCanuck) September 4, 2022
No Naby until at least November then… https://t.co/Zc4EuKGcLI
— Jack Sear (@JackSear) September 4, 2022
Fair enough: the condensed group stage makes for less of a long-term skip.
But I do not agree that these are not long-term injuries. Keita has been out for a few weeks, Ox for over a month. Add 5 weeks and you’ll both be gone for months. Those are long-term injuries. https://t.co/zkMZHLXo1e
— Arun (@WookieChew23) September 4, 2022
There have always been rumors about Keita off the pitch, being left out of the CL team probably proves that there is a bigger problem that the club has dodged.
It’s a shame how his LFC career will end after so much potential.
— Dinesh Kumar (@DHardayal) September 4, 2022
This season’s group stage is condensed to account for the World Cup, and will run over the course of eight weeks until early November.
With Keita absent from the squad, that suggests Liverpool may not see Keita until after the World Cup, as the season takes a break on November 14.
The injury came “out of the blue” on the eve of the Reds’ trip to Old Trafford and he may now be out of action for up to four months with the Reds. Far from being ideal is an understatement.
