Guinea coach Paul Put has given an injury update on Naby Keita after the midfielder left the African Cup of Nations to return to Merseyside for treatment.

Keita sparked fears he could miss the start of the forthcoming Premier League season when he returned to Liverpool’s Melwood training ground for assessments an injury this week.

But Guinea are hoping the 24-year-old midfielder will be able to return to Egypt for the knockout rounds of AFCON, which start on Friday.

Keita has struggled with his fitness since suffering a groin adductor injury in the 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on May 1.

It was initially thought Keita would be absent for two months but such was his desire to play at AFCON, the former RB Leipzig man worked his way back to something approaching full fitness in time.

But his presence at the tournament was mired in controversy from the beginning, when Put insisted he was fit to be involved, despite Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp having insisted Keita wouldn’t be able to play until July.

Keita wasn’t fit to start his country’s first game in Egypt, playing just half an hour as a substitute.

Keita did begin the second match, but limped out of the bruising clash with Nigeria after 70 minutes, with what seems an aggravation of the adductor problem, and a thigh issue.

He then sat out Guinea’s 2-0 win over Burundi on Sunday as Put’s side confirmed their place in the knockout phase.