Liverpool dealt injury blow as national team manager claims star will miss Reds' PL fixture against Aston Villa
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is set to miss their upcoming Premier League clash at home to Aston Villa on Sunday (September 3).
This has been revealed by France manager Didier Deschamps. He has selected the centre-back for the UEFA Euro Qualifiers clash with Ireland (September 7) and friendly with Germany (September 12).
Konate, 24, has been plagued by injuries recently. After starting the opening two league games (Chelsea and Bournemouth), he missed the 2-1 win at Newcastle United last weekend because of a muscle injury.
The potential absence of the young defender, who was in the France squad in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, couldn't have come at a worse time for Jurgen Klopp. They are already missing captain Virgil van Dijk, who saw red in the Newcastle game. The German maanger is set to have only Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as his experienced centre-back options for the Villa game.
Deschamps said while including Konate in his team for the upcoming international break (as per ECHO):
“He worked well. We’ll assess the situation on Monday, but he’s supposed to be available. Of course, I won’t take risks. He was stopped for four days. He followed his programme, and he will train until Monday. It’s highly likely that he won’t be involved for Liverpool’s game on Sunday.“
Konate has made 55 appearances across competitions for Liverpool since arriving in 2021. He has also contributed three goals and an assist but has missed 15 games due to injury.
How have Liverpool fared this season?
Liverpool have had a lukewarm start to their 2023-24 Premier League campaign. After a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Chelsea on August 13, the Reds beat Bournemouth 3-1 at home.
In their next league outing at Newcastle United on August 27, Klopp's men showed character and tenacity. Down a goal and a man, Darwin Nunez came off the bench to net a late brace as the Reds registered their second straight league win.
With seven points from three outings, Klopp's men are fourth in the Premier League standings, two behind early leaders Manchester City, who have won all three games. The Reds will next be in action at Aston Villa on Sunday.