When Ibrahima Konate could return after gutting Joe Gomez injury news

With Joe Gomez set to be out for “a while” with a new hamstring injury, the focus will turn to Ibrahima Konate and his return from a long-term knee issue.

Gomez is expected to be sidelined for “quite a bit” after pulling his hamstring against West Ham, as Arne Slot told Sky Sports.

“In a sprint, we all know it’s a hamstring and we all know it’s going to take a while before he’s back,” the head coach told reporters.

It is a gutting setback for Gomez, who was on a run of eight starts in a first half of the season that has seen him otherwise avoid injury.

But with it likely he is missing for at least two weeks and as many as 10, depending on the results of a scan at the start of the week, Slot will require a replacement.

For the short term that will be Jarell Quansah, but the Dutchman is hopeful Konate will be back in contention soon enough.

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Slot was asked before the trip to West Ham whether Konate and Conor Bradley, who have both been out for a month, could be available against Man United on January 5.

“They will not be back for West Ham, but then there’s a week in between, so let’s see how close they are then,” he told reporters.

“It’s difficult for me to tell you at this moment, because they don’t train with the group yet.

“But hopefully in the upcoming days they come closer to that situation.

“Ibou has been out for five, six weeks maybe, Conor just as long, and also for them they are in competition with players who are completely fit and are doing really well.

“I have to make the right judgement the moment they are back with the team.”

Liverpool’s medical staff have been careful with Konate’s fitness this season and that is unlikely to change despite Gomez also being out.

Therefore while the Frenchman could be hopeful of a place on the bench next Sunday, even that could be doubtful, with Slot likely to ease him back in.

The FA Cup third round clash with Accrington Stanley on January 11 may be a sensible return date, with Quansah starting against Man United and then Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final.

Still Konate’s recovery comes at a timely juncture, with it seemingly not long before he is fit enough to take over as Virgil van Dijk‘s centre-back partner again.