Naby Keita scored as Liverpool recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over VfB Stuttgart in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
The Reds started plans ahead of the 2020-21 season having won the Premier League in the previous campaign, doing so for the first time since 1990 and with an accumulated 99 points, 18 points clear of Manchester City in second place.
Jurgen Klopp selected a strong starting line-up that included Egypt and Senegal forwards Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane. Keita meanwhile started in midfield alongside Brazil international Fabinho and Curtis Jones.
Liverpool took the lead in the 15th minute thanks to another Brazilian in Roberto Firmino before Keita made it 2-0 five minutes to the half-time break. The Guinean was replaced by James Milner at the start of the second half.
The Merseyside outfit had one more say which came in the 68th minute via Rhian Brewster who impressed on loan at Swansea City during the second half of the Championship, netting 10 goals which was only bettered by Ghana international and Swans vice-captain Andre Ayew who had 15 goals.
Keita played 27 times in all competitions last season which could have been more had it not been for various injury problems. He did have more involvement for Liverpool at the restart of the league, playing in all the remaining nine games which ended in five victories, two draws and two defeats.
Within this period the former RB Leipzig man had a hand in three goals (one goal, two assists), the goal being a scorcher in a 5-3 win over Chelsea. Overall, he registered two goals and three assists in the top-flight.
Keita was also involved in a goal in the Champions League, coming in a 2-0 Group E away win at Red Bull Salzburg. He also found the back of the net in a narrow 2-1 win over Monterrey in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup which Liverpool went on to lift by dispatching Brazilian giants Flamengo in extra-time in the final.
His minutes on the pitch for the season totalled 1,395 minutes. Keita will hope to be involved in more games for the upcoming campaign starting with Liverpool’s first league game against newly-promoted Leeds United at Anfield on September 12, but before that comes the Community Shield against FA Cup holders Arsenal at Wembley on August 29.
