Ex-Liverpool Premier League winner Naby Keita registers first appearance in 11 months, makes debut for Hungarian giants' B team under Robbie Keane

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita recently made his first appearance in 11 months, featuring for Hungarian giants Ferencvaros' B team in a recent clash.

Keita, who turned 30 earlier this month, rose to prominence owing to his good performances for RB Leipzig. He secured a permanent switch worth over £52 million to the Merseyside outfit in the summer of 2018.

The 56-cap Guinea international endured a tough time at Liverpool due to his host of injuries between 2018 and 2023. He helped the Reds lift seven trophies and made 129 appearances in all competitions for them.

After joining Werder Bremen on a free transfer in 2023, Keita featured in just five total outings for the German side before falling out with them last year. Afterwards, he joined Ferencvaros, who are managed by ex-Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane, on loan last month.

11 months after his cameo in Werder Bremen's 2-0 Bundesliga home loss to VfL Wolfsburg, he graced the pitch earlier this week. He featured in Ferencvaros B side's 4-1 win over Tiszafured and now, he is likely to be included in the UEFA Europa League squad facing Viktoria Plzen on Thursday.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot slammed for 1-0 loss

After Liverpool's 1-0 FA Cup loss at Plymouth Argyle earlier this Sunday, ex-Reds youth player Craig Hignett hit out at his former club's head coach Arne Slot. He told BBC Radio Merseyside (h/t Metro):

"When you make as many changes as Arne Slot did, you are always at the risk of getting a disjointed performance. And that is exactly what we saw today. They have made a lot of changes, but you don't want to make that an excuse because these players are more than capable."

Hignett, who spent time at the Reds' academy from 1986 to 1988, added:

"Arne Slot could have had more [senior] players on the bench. It was his choice not to bring Mohamed Salah or Cody Gakpo. As a manager, you live and die by your decisions. But at the end of the day, when he looks back and thinks about it, he might change his mind about one or two things he has done today and one of them would be to have more firepower on the bench."

Showering praise on Plymouth for their resolute display, Hignett opined:

"Take nothing away from Plymouth. They defended brilliantly and came out with a win. Liverpool have been so far away from the standards they have set for themselves. It was a really poor performance."

Slot, who left Feyenoord in 2024, made 10 changes to the team that beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg clash. However, the starting XI still featured a host of senior players, including Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, and Wataru Endo.

The Reds are scheduled to play five Premier League matches in the next two weeks. They will next take on Merseyside rivals Everton, who are in 16th spot, at Goodison Park on Wednesday (February 12).