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Liverpool signed Naby Keita in the summer of 2017, but it was a long wait before fans of the club were able to see him in a red shirt on Merseyside for the first time.

That was because Jurgen Klopp's side had agreed a £52m deal that would see the Guinean international remain at his Bundesliga side RB Leipzig until the summer just gone. Now though, the 23-year-old is making up for lost time.

The new number eight at Anfield is the first man to receive the shirt since club legend Steven Gerrard retired, and although nobody is suggesting he could go on to have a career like his predecessor, Keita's early performances have been promising.

Unlike fellow midfield new boy Fabinho who arrived from Monaco, Kieta's former side Leipzig employed a similar style of play to the high-tempo gegenpressing that Klopp instils in his players at Liverpool. This has meant his integration into the starting XI has been quicker than the Brazilian's and Reds fans have had more of an opportunity to see what he's about.

In the 2-1 Carabao Cup loss to Chelsea, Keita was given 90 minutes by his German boss and although the Blues came back from a goal down to win the game, Liverpool fans should be excited by the central midfielder's performance.

Keita is an unconventional looking player at times and often seems as though he isn't in control of the ball, but his dribbling ability and energy is often crucial to getting the Reds up the pitch and onto their now infamous counter attacks. Against Chelsea on Wednesday evening, Keita completed two dribbles and his 91 per cent pass accuracy and two key passes prove that he is beginning to use the ball well too.

After watching him closely it's easy to tell why the bosses at Anfield were convinced enough to part with what was then a club record fee. Keita's ability to take the ball on the half-turn and create space for himself is unparalleled in the Liverpool squad and hints at his front-foot approach, which he has the energy to sustain for 90 minutes.

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Throughout his career so far, the Guinean has been known for chipping in with a good return of goals from midfield and although he is yet to open his account for the Reds it is clearly not for the lack of trying. In the Carabao Cup tie he had three shots, all of which were on target and forced saves from Chelsea's stand-in keeper Willy Caballero.

The three tackles that Keita also made in the game point to the defensive side of his game which is just as impressive as his attacking endeavours, as he covers ground in a similar way to James Milner, making the pair a nightmare to play against.

Although he is yet to light-up a game in England, the stats show that Keita is settling well at Liverpool and from the glimpses he has shown, there is much more to come from the 30-cap international.

His selection from the start for the cup tie with Chelsea hints that he could be replaced by Georginio Wijnaldum for the league game between the same two teams on Saturday, even though his energy levels in game make it look like he would have no problem playing two games in a week. There is no doubting though that whether he starts or not on Saturday, Keita is likely to be extremely important in the future for this developing Liverpool side.

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