Former Liverpool midfielder frustrates his new club after playing just 80 minutes in five months

Naby Keita is continuing to struggle in Germany as he is frustrating Werder Bremen due to his unavailability and off-pitch issues.

The former Liverpool midfielder departed in the summer after his contract expired but his move to Bremen has been a move that has failed thus far. Keita has played just 80 minutes in total, with those coming across three appearances in the Bundesliga.

An abductor and muscle injury has kept him on the sidelines for the majority of his time so far but his most recent absence was due to a cold which has restricted him from featuring. Keita, 28, endured a hugely frustrating time at Liverpool due to his injury issues which meant he never got close to repaying the £54m that he was bought for in 2018. There were moments of quality sprinkled across his time at Anfield but any of them were overshadowed by a lack of availability - something which the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister provide.

Having made 129 appearances across five years, Keita was moved on and he is struggling to impress at his new club. Reports from German outlet DeichStube have claimed the ex-Liverpool No.8 has turned up late to meetings on a number of occasions, in addition to opting out of attending several sponsorship events which is piling pressure upon himself and adding frustration to the club who will no doubt have to cover his sizeable wages.

The German side sit 13th in the Bundesliga, but are just six points from safety in what looks like another tough campaign that lies ahead. Keita's past pedigree from his time at RB Leipzig would have been something that excited Bremen fans but it seems he will be unlikely to replicate the form of earlier in his career which saw him net 17 times and provide 15 assists in 71 appearances prior to his move to Liverpool.

Klopp spoke out on Keita's injury issues in the past, citing his injury record is what people will remember, despite his ability. “It was a bit of a shame, when it was really going well then a little injury here, a little muscle thing there." said the Liverpool boss. "That was not too cool and that is probably what people might remember as well, but in his moment he is world-class, without a shadow of a doubt. And I wish him the best of luck because he as well won absolutely everything here at Liverpool, which not a lot of people can say.”