RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has admitted that Liverpool-bound midfielder Naby Keita has struggled to match the heights of last season.
The Guinea international will swap the Bundesliga outfit for Anfield on July 1 after a £55m deal was agreed between the two clubs last summer.
Keita boasted some of the best statistics on the continent in 2016-17, earning links with a number of clubs, but he is lagging slightly behind this time around.
While the 22-year-old has managed only two goals fewer than last season's tally of eight, he has just two assists to his name and was also dismissed three times in the space of seven games earlier in the campaign.
Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference, Leipzig manager Hasenhuttl said: "Naby is not as consistent this year as last year. It's important that he brings his expectations back to normal levels.
"I'm not one who wants to motivate with fear. I don't immediately get the whip out in the classic sense and I don't kick the players non-stop."
Leipzig trail leaders Bayern Munich by 19 points in the Bundesliga title race.
