Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita is aiming to play his own game despite being given the legendary No.8 shirt worn by Steven Gerrard.
The 23-year-old is not looking to emulate Gerrard but is hoping to leave his own unique stamp on the club.
The Guinean midfielder has adapted well to life on Merseyside following his £53m move from German side RB Leipzig this summer.
His arrival was met with excitement by the Liverpool fanbase and he has so far lived up to the expectations that come with being a big money signing.
Keita is well aware of the legacy that Gerrard has at the club after the former England midfielder led the Reds to Champions League success in 2005 but the 23-year-old believes he is a very different player to the former captain.
“You see the No.8 is really legendary and to wear this shirt now it is legendary,” he said (via Goal).
“It used to belong to a player who was a legend, who was respected here.
“When I was a child, that really was in my mind, to play for a great club like Liverpool. Well, here I am now, I don’t mean I’m not going to be like him because each of us are individuals.
“He left his own mark, I want to leave my own mark, I am going to work really hard to leave my own mark like he did. To play for Liverpool, that is a dream I had as a child and here I am now.”
Liverpool have made an unbeaten start in the Premier League so far and currently sit second behind Manchester City on goal difference.
Keita eager to learn the local dialect
While Keita has been preferred to Fabinho so far this season by manager Jurgen Klopp, the Guinean midfielder has set himself another challenge.
He is now aiming not only to master the arts of English football but also that of the local lingo which he hopes will help him settle into daily life.
“I am really motivated to speak English, it is really important for me. I am following a course,” he said. “I want to be able to speak to the coach, I want to speak to the other players on the team and I am really working hard.
“I am hoping in six months I will be able to do these interviews in English.”
And, once he has mastered English, he has set his sights on the local dialect.
“I find the Scouse accent a bit difficult but I will try my best to learn some,” he said.
“I do not know any Scouse, I have been trying to speak English, I have not been able to learn any Scouse yet.”
The post Naby Keita keen to leave his own mark despite wearing Gerrard’s legendary No.8 appeared first on Squawka News.
From Squawka NewsSquawka News https://ift.tt/2Ra59oa
No comments:
Post a Comment