Liverpool are awaiting confirmation of a report in Guinea which claimed that midfielder Naby Keïta has tested positive for COVID-19 while away on international duty.
The Reds have been hit hard by the virus this season. Thiago Alcántara and Sadio Mané both tested positive before the international break and winger Xherdan Shaqiri also sparked concerns after testing positive, only to find out that was because he already had the antibodies for the virus.
Keïta was an unused substitute in Guinea's recent 2-1 victory over Cape Verde, after which reports in his homeland suggested he had tested positive for the virus. FOOT224's Amadou Makadji first broke the news and it was later backed up by Usher Komugisha.
Reports of the positive diagnosis in England have been scarce, however. According to the Telegraph, Liverpool are yet to comment on the situation and are instead awaiting confirmation from their own sources.
Should the report be confirmed, Keïta will be forced into a period of isolation which would see him miss Saturday's Merseyside derby against Everton.
The trip to the Amsterdam ArenA to face Ajax on October 21 would also come too soon for Keïta, as would October 24's meeting with Sheffield United.
Should Keïta be forced to sit out those games, it would come as a huge blow to manager Jürgen Klopp, who has named the 25-year-old in the starting lineup for all four of Liverpool's Premier League games so far.
However, he is yet to complete 90 minutes in any competition this year, which is a good indication of just how many options Klopp has at his disposal for that position.
?liverpool walks. pic.twitter.com/FaAi8nqYbq
— Thiago Alcantara (@Thiago6) October 10, 2020
Fabinho and James Milner have been the players to replace him off the bench, while Klopp will also be able to call upon Thiago once more after his isolation period came to an end.
Klopp will be eager to name a strong lineup in the upcoming derby in an attempt to help his side bounce back from the 7-2 drubbing they received at the hands of Aston Villa before the break. Everton, meanwhile, are sitting top of the table after winning all four games.
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Source: 90min
