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Watch: Naby Keita collects Hertha striker’s soul with nasty stepover

By: Author Surjit Patowary

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Watch: Naby Keita collects Hertha striker’s soul with nasty stepover

Naby Keita’s resurgence in pre-season continued when Liverpool met Hertha Berlin in last night’s pre-season friendly.

Even though Hertha Berlin won the outing 4-3 at the Tivoli Stadium in Austria, Keita was influential in the middle of the park and showed glimpses of the form he was known for in his Bundesliga days with RB Leipzig – particularly when he embarrassed a Hertha player with a filthy stepover.

Keita dispirited Hertha striker Davie Selke with a silky move that took the opponent out of the equation without the Guinean having to touch the ball even once.

Upon being pressed by Selke in midfield, Keita came up with a brilliant feint with his right foot and followed it up with a swift change of direction that left Selke no chance to carry on with his pursuit of the ball.

Keita feinted left and went right, in a passage of play that has encouraged fans to think that the best of him is yet to come. If the piece of skill was not enough, Keita also played a crucial role in a brilliant team goal.

Despite the loss, Keita’s performance was one of the positives that the Reds supporters, as well as head coach Jürgen Klopp, could take from the friendly outing.