Naby Keita has officially been unveiled as a Liverpool player and the midfielder has revealed that club legend Steven Gerrard personally handed him the number eight jersey.
Nobody has worn the Liverpool number eight jersey since Gerrard left for the LA Galaxy in 2015 but Keita, who wore the same number at RB Leipzig, was keen to take it.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, he spoke of his surprise at meeting Gerrard back in August and he was delighted to have the number handed to him.
He said:
It was an incredible day for me. He gave me the No.8 jersey. When it happened, it was a surprise and I didn’t expect it. When he came in, I looked and 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.
