Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konaté announces that he’ll need time away. The Frenchman vows to come back stronger.
Ibrahima Konaté announced on Instagram this evening that he’s set for time away from the pitch. The centre-back believes he’ll come back stronger for it, though.
“Unfortunately, I have to spend some time off the pitch but it won’t be too long,” wrote Konaté. “In the meantime, I will be doing my best to come back even stronger and supporting the boys.”
This comes just hours after the Mirror ran a story claiming that Konaté could be on the bench vs Fulham this weekend. His injury – that he picked up against Strasbourg – wasn’t thought to be too serious.
Now it appears we might not see the Frenchman for a little while.
Ibrahima Konaté announces time away
Now, we’re assuming that this is related to Konaté’s injury – he doesn’t actually make that clear. That’s obviously the most likely reasoning for his absence, of course, so we’re inclined to believe that’s it.
And it’s certainly a blow. Konaté was sensational in his first season with Liverpool, establishing himself as one of the best defensive players at the club. That’s not easy, given the talent and experience already at Anfield.
His performance in the Champions League final was magnificent, too – we’re incredibly excited about what he’ll bring this season. It’s just a shame that we’ll need to wait for it, then.
Joel Matip will retain his place as a first-choice centre-back, then. Honestly, it’s very possible that he was going to hold onto that role anyway but Konaté’s absence just confirms it. What’s really up in the air is exactly how long the £36m signing will be out for.
Will he be gone for long enough that Joe Gomez moves ahead of him in the pecking order? Or are we talking about a minor absence that sees him return for the start of the Champions League?
We expect more information will follow in the coming days.
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