Liverpool can benefit from Arsenal’s surprise and Ibrahima Konate’s decision

International football is very often treated with a sense of dread by Liverpool supporters, given the tendency of their players to return from representing their country in less than ideal condition.

But national team duty can occasionally come in handy, especially for those who have somewhat lost their way at Anfield.

Such is the potential case for Ibrahima Konate, with eyebrows raised as the Liverpool defender is set to form part of a first-choice centre-back pairing for France at the European Championships alongside his former RB Leipzig team-mate Dayot Upamecano, now. from Bayern Munich.

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Konate played in last Wednesday’s 3-0 warm-up win over Luxembourg but was rested for France’s final friendly before last Sunday’s tournament against Canada, with Arsenal’s William Saliba selected instead.

Reports in France, however, suggest that while Saliba did little wrong in a disappointing goalless draw, Konate is now all but certain to be recalled for his country’s opening Group D game against Austria on Monday.

Konate, of course, is no stranger to international tournaments with France, having started three of seven games at the last World Cup in Qatar and coming off the bench in the final defeat to Argentina in December 2022.

And his situation at club level now is not too different to when the 25-year-old went into those finals, injury problems meaning he started just four games for Liverpool in the first part of the 2022/23 campaign.

While fitness issues again contributed to Konate’s most recent season, he actually missed just seven games through injury and only three since December. The latter absence came after injuring his thigh in the 6-1 Europa League rout of Sparta Prague in March, which forced him out of the return and, more importantly, key Premier League and FA clashes Cup against Manchester City and United respectively.

Stepping in after Joel Matip’s season-ending knee injury, Konate has started 10 of the last 13 top-flight games, a period in which he served a one-match ban following his red card at Arsenal. But when he returned after the international break in March, Konate started just three of the remaining nine Premier League games and none of the last four. Indeed, he didn’t play another minute of the campaign after being subbed off midway through the second half following a dreadful performance in the Merseyside derby defeat at Everton.

For so long regarded as Virgil van Dijk’s main partner at centre-back, Konate finished the season behind 21-year-old Jarell Quansah, with the youngster seeing his early-season progress accelerated in part due to the Frenchman’s absence. by accident.

With France, who also face the Netherlands and Poland in their Euros group, expected to go far in the tournament, Konate should be given room to rebuild their damaged confidence. And he will know that things have turned around for him at Liverpool after the World Cup two years ago. Although there was another five-week injury absence soon after, the defender regained his place and started 13 of the last 15 Premier League games, a period in which the Reds lost just twice.

With Quansah’s continued development and the likely arrival of a new centre-back at Anfield this summer, Konate will want to build momentum to ensure he can start for Liverpool next season.