Liverpool: Konate out for up to three weeks

The Times journalist Paul Joyce has revealed that Liverpool central defender Ibrahima Konate will be out with a hamstring injury for ‘up to three weeks’.

The Lowdown: Injuries galore

Liverpool’s treatment tables are very busy at the moment, with as many as eight first-team squad members out injured or through illness.

They include star forwards Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota as well as centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Nat Phillips, and now Konate has joined them in what is another huge blow for Jurgen Klopp.

The Latest: Another one…

Taking to Twitter, Joyce has revealed that Konate now faces ‘up to three weeks out’ with a hamstring problem, meaning that he is set to miss their next three games in the Premier League, and potentially their UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg clash against Real Madrid:

“Ibrahima Konate is facing up to three weeks out with a hamstring injury. The Liverpool centre back will miss games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Newcastle United and potentially Real Madrid in the Champions League.”

The Verdict: Big blow

Given the injury to Van Dijk and Phillips’ illness that the Reds have to contend with, losing Konate for a number of key matches is yet another big blow.

It means that Klopp only has Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and youngster Rhys Williams available as natural centre-half options in his squad, which is not ideal given the run of fixtures that they have, which includes a Merseyside derby against Everton and an encounter with high-flying Newcastle, who will be full of confidence after booking their place in the Carabao Cup final with a 2-1 win at home to Southampton on Tuesday night.

In a difficult season where the Anfield outfit linger in ninth place in the Premier League table, and are out of both domestic cup competitions, Konate has been a standout performer, with none of his team-mates making more clearances or interceptions per game than him in the top flight so far.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how Klopp sets up against Wolves on Saturday afternoon without another one of his key players.

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