Naby Keita has shown he's got the stomach for Liverpool fight - now patience is needed

Naby Keita is no stranger to adversity.

Naby Keita of Liverpool injured during the Group C match of the UEFA Champions League between SSC Napoli and Liverpool at Stadio

He's already demonstrated that he's got the stomach for a fight.

Last summer, before a ball had been kicked in anger, the Guinea midfielder was looking out over Anfield, talking to the assembled media about the journey which brought him to Liverpool .

Keita, who grew up playing on the streets of Conakry, left his homeland when he was just 16 to pursue his dream of a professional career in Europe.

There were plenty of knock-backs along the way. He was rejected by a number of French clubs before Ligue Two outfit FC Istres finally took a punt on him in 2013. His first contract was worth £900 per week.

“I never gave up,” Keita said.

“My long-term aim has always been to play football at the highest level I possibly could for a big club.

“When that is in your mind you don't give up, you constantly fight and battle to make that happen.”

That perseverance is required once again.

Keita's first season at Liverpool hasn't been plain sailing. He has struggled to live up to all the hype that surrounded his arrival from RB Leipzig for £52.75million.

The iconic No 8 shirt that he requested – Steven Gerrard was his father Sekou's idol – has weighed heavily on his shoulders. His 23 appearances for the Reds have yielded just one assist and no goals.

There have been mitigating circumstances. Injuries have hampered his progress and being stuck out wide on the left hasn't helped his cause at times.

But even when he has played centrally he's looked a pale shadow of the dynamic box-to-box midfielder who chipped in with 17 goals in 71 appearances during his two seasons in the Bundesliga.

Keita failed to kick on after a highly encouraging debut against West Ham at Anfield. He shone away to both Crystal Palace and Burnley but the combative edge and creative spark Liverpool thought they were adding to their engine room has been in short supply.

“Keita was an outstanding player here, but he's still struggling in Liverpool. So far, he's not the player there that he was here,” was Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick's recent assessment of his plight.

Confidence is undoubtedly a factor. Jurgen Klopp touched upon it when he suggested that being shrugged off by Michail Antonio in the build up to West Ham's equaliser had affected Keita at the London Stadium on Monday night.