Ex-Liverpool Premier League winner makes his debut for Robbie Keane-managed Hungarian side’s B-team for first appearance in 11 MONTHS
It tells you everything you need to know that Naby Keita’s January move from Werder Bremen to Ferencvaros slipped almost imperceptibly under the radar.
Liverpool won the race for one of the most exciting midfielders coming through the Red Bull system back in 2018, snapping up Keita for a fee of around £50million to bolster their midfield after narrowly missing out on Champions League glory.
But after a promising start to life at Anfield, a number of injury concerns halted his progress, and he would fade further and further down the substitutes bench until departing for free at the end of 2022-23 as a disappointment.
He then joined Werder Bremen, declaring later that he moved for regular game time rather than money, which he claimed he could have readily found elsewhere, yet found only five games and 107 minutes in 18 months.
A reported issue involving the player refusing to board the team coach after being told he was not in the starting XI for a match seemingly spelled the end for Keita, with his boss Ole Werner making his position at the club clear to the press.
‘I do believe that we have been very, very humane and very, very transparent with him at all times since he joined us.
Naby Keita signed for Liverpool back in 2018 and went on to win the Premier League and Champions League at Anfield
A move to Werder Bremen resulted in just five games in 18 months in a disappointing spell
Keita has now signed for Ferencvaros, arriving at the Hungarian giants back in January
‘Keita is not our issue right now, and I believe that it’s best for both sides to simply look ahead and into the future, to see what good solutions Naby can find for himself and what solutions we can find without him.’
In October, Keita told The Guardian: ‘In my last year at Liverpool, I didn’t play much and when I arrived here, I was motivated.
‘We’ll have to talk about the bus incident one day, but everyone who knows me knows that I’m a professional and that I’m not undisciplined. Despite everything, I apologised to the group even before the end of last season because we’re all human and nobody’s perfect.
‘Wherever I’ve been, from Salzburg to Leipzig to Liverpool, I’ve always tried to be exemplary.’
Something had to give if Keita, still only 30, was to get his career back on track, and so the Guinean international joined Hungarian side Ferencvaros – managed by fellow former Red Robbie Keane no less – on loan back in January.
‘We are pleased to have found a solution, together with Naby and his agent,’ Werder Bremen chief, Clement Fritz.
‘For us, it was clear that Naby would not play for Werder again. As such, the loan deal is the right move both for us and for him. We wish Naby all the best in Hungary.’
Ferencvaros are the insurmountable force in Hungarian football these days, with six successive titles, but despite regularly featuring in Europe, it is perhaps not the glitzy route Keita might have envisaged his career taking at 30 years old.
Werder Bremen have made it clear that Keita has no future so he will be looking to impress potential future clubs
Hungarian powerhouses Ferencvaros are managed by fellow former Reds star Robbie Keane
‘Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan,’ the player noted, prior to joining Ferencvaros, a sentiment which seems to have summed up his career, at least judging by his early trajectory.
Yet, having only played five times in almost two years, it will perhaps come as a surprise that Keita has now made his debut for Ferencvaros – in the B team.
Coming up against Tiszafured, Keita was introduced in the second half, and did himself credit with his performance, the club’s report of his debut suggesting he could well be set for a run in the senior side.
‘The Guinean midfielder came on as a substitute at half-time and with his good movements, accurate passes and ball possession, he proved that his regeneration is progressing well and he could soon make his debut for our first team.
‘The head coach of our defending champion football team, Robbie Keane, also watched the match on site.’
The reigning champions went on to thrash Tiszafured 4-1, though Keita can expect to get used to the winning feeling at a side who are almost unrivalled in Hungary.
With Ferencvaros still in the Europa League there is every chance that the player can get top level experience back into his legs after so long on the sidelines.
With the German side seemingly ruling out a return to the fold at any stage for Keita, he will hope to show future suitors – or indeed his new temporary side – that he still has the quality needed to perform.
In fact, he will be included in the squad facing Viktoria Plzen on Thursday night, according the Ferencvaros’ website, meaning a return to one of the bigger stages of all, and the chance to impress, could indeed come sooner than expected.
