Former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita landed himself in hot water at Werder Bremen after he snubbed the team bus and headed home upon discovering he wasn't in the starting XI for their clash against Bayer Leverkusen.

The 29-year-old, who returned to Germany last summer following an injury-riddled five-year stint at Anfield, has struggled to maintain fitness, limiting him to just five appearances this season for Bremen.

Keita was a potential pick for the match against Xabi Alonso's unbeaten side at BayArena, but chose to leave in a huff when he found out he wouldn't be in the starting lineup.

Clemens Fritz, Werder Bremen's sporting director, confirmed the incident, stating: "After Naby found out yesterday that he would not be playing from the start, he decided not to get on the bus but to go home. We will talk to him and his agent tomorrow about the consequences and how to proceed."

In Keita's absence, Bremen suffered a heavy defeat to Leverkusen, who celebrated their first-ever German title with a resounding 5-0 victory, further solidifying their position as league leaders and marking the end of Bayern Munich's dominance, highlighted by Florian Wirtz's sensational hat-trick.

Keita's dismal season is just the latest in a string of letdowns for the ex-RB Leipzig ace, who joined Liverpool in a whopping £59million deal in 2018. He managed to clock up 95 appearances for the Reds and failed to recreate the dazzling performances that secured him his dream transfer.

Werder Bremen swiftly swooped in to secure Keita's services after he became available on a free transfer this summer. However, reports earlier in the season suggested that the midfield wizard had failed to make a favourable impression at his new club.

German publication DeichStube reported in December that Keita had 'yet to win over' the Bremen bosses due to his conduct and timekeeping. It was also alleged that Keita had been late for training and had declined to participate in promotional events.

Currently, Werder Bremen sit in 12th place in the Bundesliga table following a lacklustre season.