Virgil van Dijk and several of his Liverpool teammates have expressed their support for Ibrahima Konate after the French defender confirmed he would be sidelined due to an injury. Konate sustained the issue during the closing moments of Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid on Wednesday. He collided with Endrick, which appeared to cause discomfort in his knee as he limped off the pitch at full-time. Konate was visibly in pain as he made his way back to the dressing room, and later, manager Arne Slot acknowledged that the injury was a concerning sign ahead of Liverpool’s upcoming match against Manchester City on Sunday.
Konate has since taken to Instagram to share his frustration over the injury, which occurred right at the end of what had been a strong performance for the team. He wrote, “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.” The message reflected his determination to return to full fitness as soon as possible.
In response, several of Konate’s teammates sent well-wishes and messages of support. His center-back partner, Virgil van Dijk, showed his solidarity with a heart and strong-arm emoji in the comments. Other Liverpool players, including Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, and Luis Diaz, also sent encouraging messages in the form of hearts.
Konate’s injury is not the only fitness concern for Liverpool. Conor Bradley, who was also substituted late in the match against Real Madrid due to a hamstring issue, remains a doubt for Sunday’s clash. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit to start after missing the previous two matches due to his own hamstring injury. With Konate unavailable, Liverpool will likely have to choose between Joe Gomez and Jarrell Quansah as his replacement in defense.
