SPECIAL KEITA

Naby: I’m motivated to be the best I can for Reds.. if I score eight one season I must get nine in the next

NABY KEITA says signing for one of the biggest clubs in the world doesn’t mean he’s finally arrived – it means he has only just started.

The midfielder joined Liverpool for £52million in the summer in what was the third-highest fee paid in Anfield history.

But far from believing he is the finished article, Keita has written himself a ‘must do better’ note.

“I’m the kind of person who thinks that if I score eight goals in one season, my objective must be to score nine goals the following season. That’s the mentality I have,” he told LFC magazine.

“I should say that I’m very much a team player and I always think about the team first.

“The Premier League is different to other leagues where I have played — everybody knows it is very tough but I will do my best to beat my own personal records.”

Keita, the most costly midfielder in Kop history, is the fourth-most expensive African footballer of all time. Yet he is at pains to explain that arriving in England is just the start of his quest to join the world elite.

The Guinea star has had a quiet start to his Reds career and was on the bench for the last match against Leicester.

But he is confident he will adapt fully to one of the toughest leagues in the world.

“I’ve been told by many people that a lot of overseas players come into the Premier League and they take time to integrate, depending on the circumstances,” he said.

“Playing in the Premier League can be difficult but I am very motivated to play here, not just for myself and my teammates but for the club.

“Everybody around me has been very supportive so I am certainly giving everything I can to get settled into the team quickly.”

Keita, now back from African Cup of Nations duty for Guinea, is likely to start against Spurs on Saturday.