Guinea boss Paul Put has praised Liverpool for their handling of Naby Keita.

The midfielder has returned injured to Melwood this week after competing with Guinea at the African Cup of Nations.

He has undergone treatment with the Reds medical staff, but now that his side has reached the knockout stages, Put hopes the 24-year-old will return to Egypt.

"I hope that he will be back and join the team," Put told the BBC. "He was called by the medical staff at Liverpool.

"He wrote to me that he has to do one more examination at Liverpool and then they will make a decision, so I hope this decision will be positive.

"But also we have to know if the player is mentally good in the head because if you're not good and you're afraid to get injured that makes no player comfortable.

"So I will see now the reaction of the Liverpool side and also what is the feeling of Naby himself."

He added: "Everybody was hoping and expecting a lot from Naby and he couldn't play the [Champions League] final through injury but he had the chance to play in the Africa Cup, he wanted to show.

"I had the feeling that Liverpool wanted Naby to play in the Africa Cup and he has colleagues at Liverpool in Salah and Mane, so it all counts.

"It was also pressure on him and I had the feeling he really wanted it because he had been working so hard when he came back from Liverpool. He was working so hard and forcing himself very hard.

"But the injury is still in the head and if you feel something you are not 100 per cent, so it makes no sense to play, especially these high intensity games, so I think we have to see and wait for the result."