Ibrahima Konate believes he is not yet “100 percent” after his time out through injury, saying he did “everything to come back quicker” against Man United.
Konate spent five weeks out with a knee injury suffered late on against Real Madrid, before a surprise start in the 2-2 draw with Man United at the start of January.
His involvement that afternoon at Anfield came with Joe Gomez ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up on Boxing Day and with Arne Slot clearly not fully trusting Jarell Quansah.
But the Frenchman’s minutes have needed to be managed since then – coming off the bench against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and sitting out entirely against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.
This comes with Konate not “100 percent” fit, as Liverpool’s No. 5 told the club’s official website.
“I feel good, not 100 percent, but I just worked on it to come back and to fix my knee because I knew a great game was coming,” he explained.
“And when I saw the injury of Joe Gomez – I hope he will come back very quick because he’s a very important player for us – I just tried to do everything to come back quicker because the game was so important and I wanted to play against Man United.
“Now we are here to come back 100 percent.”
Konate’s absence from the starting lineup against Tottenham and Accrington Stanley should be considered a positive, particularly in earning a 4-0 win over the latter with Quansah and Wataru Endo at centre-back.
It has avoided any unnecessary risk when it comes to re-injury for a player with a difficult fitness record, with Slot having already presided over Konate’s career-best record of consecutive Premier League starts, at 11.
Having his No. 5 back is clearly important to Slot, who has emphasised that few players are trusted to come straight in after injury.
“We know how to play, we really know how to play,” Konate said of Slot’s defensive setup.
“I think the manager trusts me because I was injured for six weeks, I trained just one time with the team and I played.
“I think because we know how to defend together and how to play, I was not lost on the pitch.
“I just need more rhythm. I think the mentality in our squad is really together and we just have to keep going this season.”
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