The Liverpool midfielder is reportedly set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
Liverpool have begun their 2019/20 Premier League campaign in fine fashion, taking maximum points from their opening two games.
The Reds have been far from their scintillating best, however, with some of their play looking laboured and cumbersome, especially through the middle of the park.
Jurgen Klopp has an incredibly strong group of players at his disposal, but one area where Liverpool seem to be slightly weak is central midfield.
They have tremendously hard-working midfielders, but they do sometimes lack that extra bit of energy and drive from the middle of the park.
And that’s exactly what Naby Keita brings to the Reds starting line-up.
So losing him for an extended period of time will be a huge blow to Klopp.
According to the Mirror, the Guinean could be out for ‘a while’, and Liverpool will really miss his energy, industry and stamina.
The 24-year-old joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2018, for a fee believed to be worth £48 million, according to BBC Sport.
Unfortunately for the midfielder, however, his time at Anfield has been interrupted by injuries.
Keita, who earns £120,000 per week according to Spotrac, is undoubtedly an elite player, and he provides Klopp with an entirely different option in the middle of the park.
When things get tough, and Klopp needs to revert to plan B, he will not have Keita to call upon for quite some time, and that could prove really costly for Liverpool as they look to win their first top flight title since 1990.
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