Ibrahima Konate is yet to make his Liverpool debut and faces a battle to break into Jurgen Klopp’s side at center-back – but the young Frenchman has no cause for concern. Very rarely do players make an instant impact at Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
Alisson and Virgil van Dijk may be exceptions, but the majority of new players to Anfield have had to wait for the right time to get the minutes they want.
Even Fabinho – a £39million signing three years ago – had to wait until Liverpool’s 10th game of the 2018/19 Premier League season before he was entrusted with his first start.
Ibrahima Konate is familiar with the demands of working under a top coach, having worked with Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig for the last two seasons. Nonetheless, the Frenchman may feel slightly disappointed not to have played a single minute of football for Liverpool since his £35million arrival this summer.
Konate has been an unused substitute in all five of the Reds’ games this season and Klopp preferred to partner Joel Matip with Joe Gomez in the 3-2 victory over Milan as he handed Virgil van Dijk a rest.
The ambitious 22-year old has spoken out earlier this month about his ambitions to play alongside Van Dijk.
“Virgil is incredible, I can’t wait to play alongside him and learn from him,” Konate told HypeBeast. “He’s truly one of the best in the world in that position.”
Although Konate has been learning from the Dutchman during training, he still needs to achieve the other half. Klopp seems to have settled on Van Dijk/Matip as his first-choice partnership for the Premier League. This will likely mean that Konate’s wait for a start in central defense does not end with this weekend.
Konate could be expected to play in the Carabao Cup third-round trip to Norwich City next Tuesday rather than in Saturday’s home match with Crystal Palace. Whether or not he is handed minutes over the next few days, the France Under-21 star must bide his time to break into the team.
The prowess and experience of center-backs Van Dijk and Matip make Konate’s job more difficult, but Konate is 6’4″ and his technical skills are unbeatable. His patience will be rewarded.
