Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate is facing an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury against Real Madrid
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has confirmed he is facing an extended spell on the sidelines with a knee injury as he expressed his frustration at another fitness setback. Konate was forced to undergo treatment on the pitch after the final whistle when he fell awkwardly after being caught by a heavy challenge from Real Madrid substitute Endrick in the last action of the Reds’ 2-0 Champions League win at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Konate subsequently underwent scans to ascertain the extent of the damage, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitting on Thursday it was “not a good sign” the player was hobbling when he eventually left the field.
And the Liverpool centre-back has now indicated in a post on social media that he will be out for a significant period of time, starting with Sunday’s Premier League visit of champions Manchester City.
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Konate said: “So frustrating to pick up this injury right at the end of a great game on Wednesday night.
“Now we start the recovery process but one thing I promise is I will come back and be the best I can be once again.
“Thank you for the amazing support at Anfield. Inshallah we will keep going and I will support the team every step of the way.”
While no timescale has yet been put on the recovery, the absence of Konate is a major blow for Liverpool as they enter a key period of their season. Since replacing Jarell Quansah at half-time in the opening weekend win at Ipswich Town, Konate has started every Premier League and Champions League game alongside Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.
Joe Gomez is likely to be immediate replacement for Konate having edged ahead of Quansah in the pecking order in recent weeks, although the latter started City’s most recent visit to Anfield in March.
Liverpool have a busy December, with Premier League games at Newcastle United and Everton next week before a Champions League trip to Girona. Top-flight matches at home to Fulham and away at Tottenham Hotspur sandwich the League Cup quarter-final at Southampton, before ending the year with a Premier League visit of Leicester City on Boxing Day and a trip to West Ham United three days later.
Slot has had to contend with a number of injury concerns in recent weeks, with Conor Bradley also picking up an injury against Real Madrid when suffering a hamstring problem towards the end of the match.
Alisson Becker hasn’t played since early October due to a similar complaint, Diogo Jota has been out for five weeks with an upper body impact injury, Federico Chiesa hasn’t featured since September and Kostas Tsimikas has missed the last two games with an ankle problem.
Harvey Elliott returned to the bench in the last two matches but hasn’t played a competitive minute since August, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was only fit enough for bench duty in midweek after missing three weeks with a low grade hamstring injury.