Keita on taking the 'legendary No.8' jersey and understanding Scouse
Becoming the first Liverpool player to be allocated the No.8 jersey since Steven Gerrard is an honour Naby Keita admits he’s still overwhelmed by.
The midfielder took ownership of the iconic squad number in the summer after being presented with it by Gerrard at Melwood prior to completing his transfer from RB Leipzig, as exclusively revealed on this website in July.
“You see the No.8 is really legendary and to wear this shirt now it is legendary,” Keita told SkySports.com. “It used to belong to a player who was a legend, that 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.”
Keita has settled into life at Melwood quickly having arrived in July, but has revealed he is taking lessons to improve his English.
That said, he confesses he’s still got some way to go before he fully gets to grips with the local dialect!
“I am following a course, I am really motivated to speak English, it is really important for me. I am hoping in six months I will be able to do these interviews in English,” said Keita.
“I find the Scouse accent a bit difficult but I will try my best [to learn some]. I do not know any Scouse, I have been trying to speak English, I have not been able to learn any Scouse yet!"