Nottingham Forest defender Moussa Niakhate was spotted in a heartwarming moment with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on Saturday. The Reds were beaten 3-2 at Anfield during a pulsating Premier League encounter.
Niakhate has only recently returned to full fitness. He was injured in the second match of 2021/22 and ended up missing almost eight months of action through a hamstring problem.
Now, he’s back and he’s proving a useful player for the Reds. On Saturday he not only displayed some sound defending but he was also a threat with the throws that he was putting into the box.
It’s not crystal clear how Klopp and Niakhate know each other. Both have served Mainz during their careers but they weren’t there at the same time, although that didn’t stop them from enjoying a warm embrace at the weekend.
Some football from the Liverpool media team has picked up some content from inside the tunnel after the game. Klopp and Niakhate can be spotted hugging each other in a heartwarming moment.
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Perhaps Klopp has visited his former club to watch a game or two since his departure and seen Niakhate in action. The 27-year-old captained Mainz for 18 months prior to joining the City Ground.
Forest parted with £13 million to sign Niakhate. It’s a shame he’s been injured for so long and he will be keen to make up for the lost time by helping the Reds remain in the Premier League.
Niakhate and Klopp spotted in heartwarming moment
This was nice to see. Klopp is renowned for being quite magnanimous after a win and he did concede that the long throws by Niakhate caused his team serious problems during the contest.
Forest are delighted that Niakhate is back and hasn’t suffered any recurrence of the injury that kept him out quite so long. Now, the challenge for him is to stay fit and in Steve Cooper’s team.
The Reds were desperately unlucky at Liverpool. Had they been able to defend their box from set pieces they would have left Anfield with at least a point for their efforts.