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The Nairobian

Mane, Alcantara, Shaqiri...now Liverpool's Keita tests positive for COVID-19

Football

By Mirror | Oct 12, 2020

Liverpool's Guinean midfielder Naby Keita (R) celebrates with Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final, first leg football match between Liverpool and FC Porto at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, north-west England on April 9, 2019. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

Naby Keita has reportedly become the fourth Liverpool player to test positive for coronavirus in recent weeks.

Reports in Keita’s homeland of Guinea claim the Liverpool midfielder tested positive on international duty along with four team-mates.

Liverpool have declined to comment and if the positive test is confirmed, Keita will have to go into self-isolation and miss Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, and potentially the beginning of their Champions League campaign at Ajax on October 21.

Jurgen Klopp’s squad has been hit by the virus and Thiago Alcantara, Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri have tested positive in recent weeks.

Alcantara and Mane have completed their periods of self-isolation and will be available for the Reds’ clash with Everton.

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**Liverpool's Sadio Mane celebrates after scoring during their EPL match against Chelsea on Sunday. [AP]**

Shaqiri is also back, although he is not currently part of Klopp’s first-team plans, and he came on as a second-half substitute for Switzerland against Spain on Saturday.

The Swiss star recorded a positive test shortly after joining up with his national squad for the first time in 16 months last week, but that was later recorded as a false positive.

Summer signing Kostas Tsimikas also registered a positive test after joining up with the Greece squad in the first international break of the season, shortly before the Premier League campaign began.

The positive tests are sure to come as a blow to Klopp, who questioned the need to play so many international matches at a time that the virus was still spreading.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful about how other countries are doing it but this is the place that we know and we know how we are dealing with it," said Klopp last week.

"So I am slightly concerned because it is difficult to be in contact with all FAs all over the world."