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It was hailed as the day when Naby Keita truly announced himself as a key figure in Liverpool's title challenge.

The Guinea international lit up last month's 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield.

“A big step,” was how Jurgen Klopp described the midfielder's most complete performance for the Reds since his £52.75million move from RB Leipzig.

Keita had a hand in all three goals as he showcased his quality .

(Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

He fed James Milner in the build up to Sadio Mane's opener, his pressing won possession back prior to Gini Wijnaldum's exquisite lob and then there was the classy defence-splitting pass with the outside of his right boot which enabled Roberto Firmino to tee up Mohamed Salah.

The 24-year-old appeared to have broken off the shackles after a difficult period of adjustment following his arrival from the Bundesliga. He had made four successive starts for Liverpool for the first time and Klopp spoke about him finding his rhythm.

However, rather than acting as a launchpad for him, that triumph over the Cherries proved to be a false dawn . Rather than kicking on, Keita has found himself relegated back to a place on the fringes of the squad.

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Remarkably, he has played just six minutes of Premier League football since.

Having kept his place for the visit of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Keita faded after a bright start and was taken off for James Milner.

Keita was dropped for the trip to Old Trafford as Klopp opted to go with the experience and cohesion of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum.

It was solid enough but a creative spark was sadly lacking against Manchester United as Liverpool mustered just one attempt on target. Keita remained rooted to the bench throughout the goalless draw as Daniel Sturridge, Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi were introduced.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

A recall had been on the cards against Watford in midweek but after a bout of illness led to Keita missing a training session he was only named among the subs. He got a brief run out after the points had long since been secured.

At Goodison on Sunday there was more frustration for the third most expensive signing in the club's history as Klopp fielded the same midfield trio as at Old Trafford a week earlier.

When a dour stalemate was there to be won in the second half the manager turned to Milner rather than Keita for the tiring Wijnaldum.

Two big high-stakes away games in hostile surroundings and on both occasions Keita wasn't involved.

Why? It comes down to trust.

Whereas fellow summer signing Fabinho has convinced Klopp in recent months that he merits a start no matter what the challenge Liverpool are facing, the same can't be said for Keita .

There have been times when his work off the ball hasn't been as impressive as his efforts on it. You can get away with that against limited opposition, but it's a different matter in the bigger games.

Another factor in his current situation is Klopp's more cautious approach of late when it comes to the make-up of his midfield. Against both United and Everton, it was a line up designed to ensure Liverpool were compact and ready for a physical battle rather than going for the jugular.

Klopp will surely reassess ahead of Sunday's clash with Burnley at Anfield. That contest looks tailor-made for Keita to be let off the leash again.

After three months in control of the Premier League title race, Liverpool find themselves playing catch-up on Manchester City with nine games to go.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Their wobble since the turn of the year – taking just 16 points out of a possible 27 – has highlighted the lack of match-winning contributions from midfield.

Keita and Henderson have yet to get off the mark this season, while Fabinho has one league goal, Wijnaldum has two and Milner has three.

Those numbers simply have to improve if Liverpool are going to crank up the pressure on City.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's return during the run-in will help but it would be unfair to expect too much too soon from him after nearly a year on the sidelines.

Keita needs a big week at Melwood. He needs to prove to Klopp that he's the man to provide the midfield spark that's been missing.