Premier League manager, Jurgen Klopp has been blasted by the Guinean football federation ahead of the African Cup of Nations that will take place this summer in Egypt. The Liverpool boss came under fire for his treatment and diagnosis of the injury suffered by Guinean international, Naby Keita.

The Reds have been told their diagnosis of Naby Keita is “hasty and pretentious”, with Guinea expecting a midfielder ruled out for two months by his club to make the Africa Cup of Nations. Jurgen Klopp has stated that he expects the midfielder to be sidelined for two months, but the Guinea Football Federation have declared that they are not accepting that.

When asked about the 24-year-old’s fitness, the former Dortmund manager Klopp suggested that his club and international campaign this season had ended because of an injury. A knock picked up at the Nou Camp against Barcelona in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final was threatening to keep Keita sidelined until the middle of the summer.

Klopp claimed that an adductor problem was “very serious”, with it highly unlikely that Keita could participate in AFCON. The Guinea Football Federation are, however, confident that Keita will be involved at the event in Egypt and have asked the Reds boss to “let the doctors do their job”.

Federation president Antonio Souare has told Football Factory Radio: “First we wish a very good and fast healing to Naby, as far as I know the adductors cannot prevent him from playing the African Cup of Nations 2019 that will be played from 22 June for Guinea.”

“The adductors [injury] is two to three weeks of unavailability. The Liverpool coach has to pull himself together, let the doctors do their job. Naby Keita belongs to a state before belonging to Liverpool. I remind the Liverpool coach a little bit of the rules if he does not know it. So it’s hasty and pretentious to make statements like this. What we do know is that Naby Keita will play at the African Cup of Nations 2019.”

Klopp’s assessment of Keita had been: “It was really unlucky. It’s bad news. He has a high grade adductor injury. The tendon is ruptured. It will keep him out for at least two months. It’s bad news for us and for Guinea as well because the Africa Cup of Nations is coming up.”

“He was in a really, really good moment but it’s happened. That’s how football and life sometimes are. Not too nice. It’s very serious. On the one side he won’t be involved be involved in an interesting part of the season and on the other hand side Guinea aren’t a regular starter in the Africa Cup of Nations and that was for sure a big target for him.”

Guinea would prepare for the competition immediately the season concludes before facing Nigeria, Madagascar and Burundi at the 2019 edition of the African Cup of Nations in Egypt this summer.