Guinea coach Paul Put is hoping to have Naby Keita available for a friendly meeting with Egypt on Saturday after putting 'pressure' on Liverpool to release the player.
The midfielder missed out on a successful end to his first season at Anfield after sustaining an adductor injury during the first leg of the Reds' Champions League semi-final meeting with Barcelona.
Jurgen Klopp initially suggested that Keita was a doubt for this summer's Africa Cup of Nations as a result of the blow, though the outlook appears to have improved with time.
And now Put is confident his No.8 will be ready to return to action this weekend - six days out from the tournament in Egypt.
“Keita leaves [Liverpool] after training in the morning and arrives Monday [evening],” Put told Foot224.
“I put a lot of pressure on Liverpool to [send him] as soon as possible.
“In the end, I said that if Naby does not come now, it will be difficult to put [him on] the list for Afcon. He said he will play against Egypt."
Keita endured a slow start at Liverpool but scored the first three goals of his Anfield career in his final six appearances of the season.
The 24-year-old will hope to reproduce that sort of form as Guinea take on Madagascar, Burundi and Nigeria in Group B.
