Keita will still play at Africa Cup of Nations, says Guinea FA president

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita will still play at the Africa Cup of Nations this summer, according to the president of the Guinea FA.

Jurgen Klopp was quick to rule the 24-year-old out of the tournament on Friday, but that has been rubbished by Antonio Souare, who told the German to 'pull himself together'.

Keita ruptured his adductor muscle in the the first-half of their 3-0 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.

Klopp said the injury would keep Keita out for two months and cause him to miss CAN, which begins in Egypt on June 21.

But Souare has dismissed those fears, telling Football Factory Radio et TV: 'First of all we wish Naby a very good and quick recovery, as far as I know the adductors can not prevent him from playing the CAN2019 that will be played from June 22nd for Guinea.

'The adductors is =two-three weeks of unavailability. The Liverpool coach (Jurgen Klopp) has to pull himself together, let the doctors do their job.

'Naby Keita belongs to a country before belonging to Liverpool. I remind the Liverpool coaches a bit of the rules if he does not know.

'So it's hasty and pretentious to make statements like this. What we know is that Naby Keita will play the CAN 2019.'

Klopp had said ahead of Liverpool's match with Newcastle on Saturday: 'Naby is really unlucky. It is bad news, unfortunately. It is an adductor injury and he has ruptured a tendon.

'Bad news for us but bad news for him with the African Cup of Nations coming up. He was in a really good moment.

'Of course it is a very interesting part of the season he is not part of but I also don't think Guinea is a regular start for the African Cup of Nations.'

Keita had come into form for the Reds in recent weeks with three goals in his last five games before the injury