11 months ago
237 Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has heaped praise on Ibrahima Konate and has backed him to become even better in the coming years.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were absolutely fantastic against Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend. Their best player was arguably Konate, who dealt with the amazing Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus quite comfortably.
Virgil van Dijk praises Liverpool teammate Ibrahima Konate
Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 after triggering his £36 million release clause (Sky Sports).
The £70,000-a-week (Spotrac) Frenchman was eased into life in the Premier League by Jurgen Klopp in his first 18 months here. He played consistently at the end of last season and has made 19 appearances already this campaign.
Konate is the luckiest man as he gets to learn from the best defender in the world, Virgil van Dijk – not just in training but also in games when he plays right next to him.
The Dutchman has now admitted that he is helping Konate develop by sharing his experiences with him, and he has backed the 24-year-old to become even better in the coming years.
Van Dijk said, as per Liverpool Echo: “He’s still growing. He’s an outstanding defender. He has everything that a modern-day footballer needs to be at the absolute top of centre-backs.
“There’s a lot of demands from us. We play with the ball, keep a high line, you need the pace and deal lots of space to defend in behind. He needs pace and heading as well. He’s doing it well.
“It’s about getting used to playing every three days, looking after your body, managing games and training sessions, and when to do certain things. He is learning. I speak a lot with him about certain things because it’s my duty to share experiences with him. He’s still learning and he can be even better than he is. Same goes with Jarell Quansah.”
Liverpool’s future in defence looks bright
Everyone will agree that Liverpool need to sign a new central defender in one of the next two transfer windows, but Reds fans should be excited with what they already have.
Ibrahima Konate is still only 24 years old. He has the better part of a decade still left in him at the top level, and as Virgil van Dijk said above, he will only get better in the coming years.
Along with the Frenchman, Liverpool also have young Jarell Quansah. The 20-year-old has been a revelation this season, and it really does seem like he is destined to become a star.
Liverpool’s future at the back really does look bright, and we’re sure Klopp is a happy man.
The post 'He has everything': Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool have a £70,000-a-week player who's absolutely 'outstanding' appeared first on TBR Football.
