Liverpool were already short on centre back cover heading into the campaign, but now find themselves on the edge of crisis.
Their failure to sign Crystal Palace star Marc Guéhi late in the window means they entered the season with just four central defenders, one of whom was inexperienced 18-year-old Giovanni Leoni. The Italian suffered an ACL injury on his debut, reducing Liverpool to just three centre backs.
At the end of a torrid week that saw Arne Slot lose three matches on the bounce for the first time in his Liverpool tenure, things got even worse in the fitness department. Ibrahima Konaté was withdrawn after just 56 minutes of the defeat at Chelsea due to a quad injury, the Reds left fearing the worst over the 26-year-old.
With Liverpool already in a difficult position after three dismal defeats, the last thing they need is an injury crisis at the back. Slot will be praying on a swift recovery for Konaté.
Here’s the latest news regarding the Frenchman.
When Will Ibrahima Konaté Return From Injury?
“I don't know if it’s a big injury, but I do know that he limped,” Slot said after the Chelsea game. “And I asked him, and he said; ‘I feel my quad a little bit’.
“So it might be okay and he went off early enough, but it was clear that I had to take him off because he was limping.”
Despite Konaté’s injury, the defender still teamed up with the France national team for the October international break. Les Bleus have 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland on the horizon but the Liverpool star might not be involved.
Konaté sat out of France’s training session on Tuesday evening due to his fitness concerns, recent reports have revealed, instead spending time signing autographs for supporters alongside fellow absentee Kylian Mbappé.
France boss Didier Deschamps has remained coy on injuries and admitted he didn’t have “any additional information” on those in his camp struggling with their fitness. He is, however, expected to reveal more before Friday’s battle with Azerbaijan.
The fact that Konaté still linked up with France suggests that any quad injury is not serious, but there remain concerns over the centre back. If he ends up playing over the international break, Liverpool will be worried about an exacerbation of his injury.
Who Can Replace Ibrahima Konaté for Liverpool?
Liverpool would be down to the bare bones with Konaté. Should the Frenchman join Leoni in the treatment room, the Reds will be limited to Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as senior, orthodox central defensive options.
Gomez has struggled to win favour with Slot since the Dutchman’s arrival and has a reputation for being injury-prone himself. He’s made only three appearances and played just 119 minutes in all competitions this term.
Slot opted to use Ryan Gravenberch as a makeshift centre back at Stamford Bridge following Konaté’s injury, but the Netherlands international is not an adequate long-term replacement at the back. The same can be said of Wataru Endo, the defensive midfielder having been sparingly used at centre back since joining Liverpool.
Andy Robertson would be another emergency option for the Reds, but Liverpool would much prefer to have Konaté available—even if the defender has been in disappointing form this season and could join Real Madrid on a free transfer next summer.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ibrahima Konaté Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Liverpool Defender.
