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Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes Naby Keita made a mistake in choosing to wear Steven Gerrard’s iconic number eight jersey.
The Guinean became the first player to wear the Liverpool No.8 jersey since former captain Gerrard left for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2015 following his transfer of large amounts of money from RB Leipzig.
However, injuries and falls in form have meant that the move to Anfield has not gone as well as many would have expected.
With that in mind, Hamann has wondered if Keita added unnecessary pressure on him by inheriting Gerrard’s shirt number, especially given the huge transfer fee involved in bringing him to Liverpool.
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“There is nothing you can do about the transfer fee. In fact, when a club pays so much for you it should give you a lot of confidence,” said the German. The athletic.
“But looking back, I don’t think choosing that shirt number was the best idea.
“That probably put more pressure on Keita. People may not have compared him to Steven, but that No. 8 shirt, similar to No. 7, weighs a bit more than the other shirts in Liverpool.”
“Patience with Keita is still there,” added Hamann, emphasizing that there is still plenty of time for the 25-year-old to turn his time around at the club.
“Some players make a breakthrough after three or four years at a club. It does happen. I don’t see Klopp giving up on him any time soon.
“But if you could get a great rate for it and if that money could be better spent elsewhere, maybe it’s something to consider.
“The question is whether Keita really believes he can become an important part of the team. Will the penny drop?
“Personally, I don’t think he’s the player in Liverpool that everyone expected him to be when he first signed because of the way the team is set up. But there’s still a lot of room for improvement. It depends on him.”
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