Injury News: 23-year-old Liverpool star returns to training ahead of Crystal Palace tie

Star defender Ibrahima Konate back in Liverpool training for Crystal Palace clash

Ibrahima Konate was seen training with his Liverpool teammates on Thursday (23 February) at the AXA Training Centre, according to Liverpool Echo. That’s a welcome boost for the club after what happened against Real Madrid.

Joe Gomez had a mare against Los Blancos as they scored five times at Anfield to take a three-goal lead back to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie.

He also suffered a potential injury problem and was substituted for Joel Matip in the second half. Hence, Konate’s return to training is a massive boost for us.

The French centre-back has been highly impressive for us since he left RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021. He played a key role for us, especially in cup competitions, last season when we won the FA Cup, and EFL Cup, and finished runners-up in the UEFA Champions League.

Konate hands us massive injury boost

His imposing physique, impressive pace, aerial presence, and defensive acumen off the ball make him one of the finest centre-backs in his age group. If he was fit, perhaps manager Jurgen Klopp would have started him against Real Madrid.

He has been absent from the team after picking up a hamstring injury in late January. He missed our last three league games, including the wins against Everton and Newcastle United.

Hopefully, he has recovered enough to play a part in the league clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk are otherwise fit and available for selection.

Injuries have made this season unbearable for us. Luis Diaz’s injury has been the biggest one of them all and has severely impacted our attack. Thankfully, Konate’s problem hasn’t been that serious.

More Liverpool News:

• Transfer News: Liverpool ‘monitoring’ PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe
• Liverpool dealt with N’Golo Kante blow as midfielder is set to sign a new deal with Chelsea
• Transfer News: Liverpool eye a move for RB Salzburg’s Luka Sucic

But we have to make sure that we don’t rush the 23-year-old back into action and risk aggravating his hamstring problem. If Matip and Van Dijk are fit, then it’s best to keep Konate on the sideline for another gameweek.