Liverpool are bemused by claims from Guinea manager Paul Put that he had to pressurise the club to release Naby Keita for a friendly ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
The midfielder has been out of action since May 1 with an adductor injury and missed the Champions League final victory over Tottenham.
Guinea play Egypt in a warm-up match for the tournament on Sunday and their manager said: “I put a lot of pressure on Liverpool to (send him) as soon as possible.
“In the end, I said that if Naby does not come now, it will be difficult to put (him on) the list for Africa Cup of Nations. He said he will play against Egypt.”
Liverpool were surprised by Put’s comments. Keita is understood to be on schedule with his rehabilitation and the club are relaxed about him joining up with the squad.
Meanwhile, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to extend his current deal at Liverpool until 2023. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s current deal at Anfield, which is worth a reported £120,000, runs out in three years.
The 25-year-old spent nearly a year out after suffering a serious knee injury last summer. Oxlade-Chamberlain will agree to an additional one-year deal.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has spoken before about how the midfielder’s presence in the dressing room has helped the overall morale of the team.
When he returned from injury recently, Klopp said: ‘’It’s brilliant and so good (to see him back). Seeing his smile after he missed the chance was heartbreaking.
“It’s been over a year now. It’s cool. It was a perfect day, nothing happened injury wise and of course I’m happy.
“He’s such a wonderful, wonderful person. Even better as a player, imagine that? He’s already a really good player but as a guy he is outstanding.
“We are so happy for him.”
