Ibrahima Konate is expected to return to Liverpool for Saturday’s game against Manchester City, with the centre-back set for a “big week” after his recovery.
Konate was left out of the France squad for the 3-0 win over Brentford and has been sidelined this month with a thigh injury.
The 24-year-old had to undergo half-time treatment after aggravating the problem in the build-up to Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Toulouse earlier this month.
But Anfield understood he will be fit for this weekend’s trip to Manchester City alongside Ryan Gravenburch, Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez.
This is confirmed by a video shared by Konate at half-time, in which the Frenchman can be seen doing physical therapy on himself.
Konate did strength and conditioning exercises and after rehab started running outside again. The same will be true when he returns to the AXA Training Center this week, having first reported alongside goalkeeper Adrian.
“There are no weekends,” Konate wrote on Instagram. “A big week is coming up.”It remains to be seen whether Joel Matip will partner Virgil van Dijk in the fifth at the Etihad at 12.30pm.
Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate is replaced by Joel Matip during the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Everton, the 243rd Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. Liverpool won 2-0.
Matip impressed the last time Liverpool kept a clean sheet against Brentford and, like Konate, was sacked by Cameroon after retiring this month.
Given the performance required against Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp is likely to select Matip alongside Van Dijk when Konate returns from injury.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kostas Tsimikas are positioned as full-backs, while Alexis McAllister and Dominic Szoboszlai could start in midfield alongside Jones or Gravenburch. Darwin Nunes should join Mohamed Salah in attack, while Klopp must choose between Diogo Jota or Luis Diaz on the left.
