Phil Thompson has claimed that Liverpool’s summer signing, Ibrahima Koante, is looking like an ‘absolute dream’, as he told Off the Ball.
The 22-year-old was at it again on Wednesday night, as he scored for the second time in the Champions League, once again against Benfica as Liverpool progressed to the semi-finals.
Konate hasn’t been a regular at the back for Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League, but for midweek games and cup matches, he has been brought in on a regular basis by his manager.
In years to come, the Reds will want someone to take Virgil van Dijk’s throne, and whilst he has a long way to go, Konate is seriously impressing when given the chance.
Anfield legend Thompson certainly likes what he sees from the hard-hitting centre-back, as he shared his thoughts on the player.
“Konate is looking like an absolute dream,” said Thompson. “He’s a wonderful player, so there are no problems making these changes.”
It couldn’t have worked out better for Klopp because, after their Premier League title clash at the Etihad on Sunday, he was able to make several changes and progress to the semi-finals of the Champions League last night.
Now, Van Dijk will be expected to return to the XI for the FA Cup semi-final after being rested, but it will be interesting to see if Konate keeps his place.
Given that it’s the FA Cup, he might just remain in the XI because Joel Matip has played back-to-back matches in the space of a few days.
Either way, Klopp now has some serious quality and depth to his squad, which makes them favourites to win multiple trophies this term.
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