Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has, on Thursday, provided an update on the wellbeing of Ibrahima Konate.
For those who may have missed it, stopper Konate was a surprise absentee from not only Liverpool’s most recent starting XI, but the club’s matchday squad altogether.
This came as the Reds made the trip to West Ham United on Wednesday night.
Klopp’s troops, ultimately, got the job done, thanking goals on the part of Cody Gakpo and Joel Matip for an eventual 2-1 triumph.
The aforementioned Konate, though, played no part, culminating in questions surrounding a potential fitness problem for the Frenchman.
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of his side’s third win on the spin, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of his defensive stalwart’s status was put to boss Klopp.
Admitting that the former RB Leipzig standout in fact ‘could have played’, Klopp cited Konate’s need for steady rest between games at this moment in time, explaining:
“Ibou could have played. He is not injured. But in the last few weeks he’s always had to rest like two days, one day then half a session, stuff like this.”
Jurgen Klopp on Ibou Konate:
🗣️ “Ibou could have played. He is not injured. But he had in the last few weeks he’s always had to rest like two days, one day then half a session, stuff like this.”
✍️ [Liverpool Echo] pic.twitter.com/3OW7vQlzQA
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) April 27, 2023
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