Ibrahima Konate will spend the international break recovering from an injury that prompted him to withdraw from France’s team earlier this month.
Konate was a surprise omission from the Reds’ teamsheet for Sunday’s match against Brentford, despite being anticipated to start.
Liverpool were then said to be being cautious with the No. 5 due to a minor fitness concern, as was the situation with Joe Gomez.
However, the French Football Federation has announced that Konate has been replaced in Didier Deschamps’ team for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Gibraltar (November 18) and Greece (November 21).
The FFF stated in a statement confirming the call-up of Chelsea defender Axel Disasi that Konate sustained a “small muscle injury to his left hamstring.”
The incident occurred during the warmup for Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to Toulouse in midweek, with the 24-year-old “requiring approximately two weeks of treatment.”
If Konate returns within two weeks, he should be able to make the team for the trip to Manchester City on November 25.
The timing of this issue, however, is undoubtedly convenient, especially given Jurgen Klopp’s joking criticism of the centre-back’s workload with France last month.
“I love absolutely everything about Ibou, but the problem is that Ibou had injury problems from time to time, and Mr Deschamps played him 90 and 87 minutes in the two games,” he told RMC Sport after the October break.
“I spoke to Ibou and told him, ‘tell Mr Deschamps that’s how you rest a player,” Klopp said after leaving his No. 5 out of the home game against Toulouse.
“Not three minutes, no, the full 90.”
It should be remembered that during the September break, Liverpool and France had differing opinions about Konate’s fitness.
Despite having a muscular ailment, the Parisian was called up to Deschamps’ team, only to withdraw.
