KEITA WILL BE GR-EIGHT

NABY KEITA was unveiled at Anfield yesterday and vowed to live up to the giant task of filling Steven Gerrard’s shirt.

The £52.75m midfielder signed for Jurgen Klopp last summer from RB Leipzig, although the deal will not become official until Sunday.

But the 23-year-old Guinean arrived yesterday ahead of pre-season training, with Liverpool’s other non-World Cup players, on Monday.

He was given Gerrard’s famed No.8 shirt, which has been vacant since the Kop legend retired.

Keita revealed that receiving Gerrard’s seal of approval, when he personally handed him the shirt last summer, has given him a boost.

Keita said: “It was an incredible day for me. He gave me the No.8 jersey. When it happened, it was a surprise. When he came in, I looked at him and said, ‘Wow’ because he is a legend.

“He is somebody who always showed respect, who gave his all on the pitch, somebody who is loved here.

“If somebody like that gives you his shirt number, it’s not to play around with, it is to try and do as much as he did. That’s my motivation.”

Keita also revealed how Liverpool striker Sadio Mane played a key role in his decision.

The pair played together earlier in their careers with Salzburg and now share the same agent.

Keita said: “I chose Liverpool because it is a team I watched often and I also spoke a lot about it with Sadio. He told me a lot about the team and the club. Sadio is like family to me.

“We were friends at Salzburg. He was like a brother to me.”