Ibrahima Konate has been under some major scrutiny at Liverpool this season.
Konate has been one of Arne Slot’s worst players this season, with one of his mistakes even causing Alisson to be ruled out for several weeks.
Virgil van Dijk has had to carry Liverpool’s defensive line on his back, with neither Milos Kerkez nor Jeremie Frimpong living up to expectations either.
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And, even though the Anfield outfit were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United on Sunday, Konate actually put in his best performance of the season.
Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Liverpool FC.
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts – CameraSport via Getty Images
It was nice to see the Frenchman back to his usual self, even if it did end with Liverpool adding yet another defeat to their tally.
And now, Clinton Morrison has shared his thoughts on the centre-back’s performance.
Clinton Morrison says Ibrahima Konate was actually ‘bailing’ Virgil van Dijk out on Sunday
Over the last couple of years, Van Dijk and Konate’s partnership has been solid.
Last term, they formed one of the best defensive duos in the Premier League, with the Reds only conceding 41 goals in the top flight.
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This season, now that Kerkez and Frimpong have been brought in, things don’t seem to be going as well, with this only being enhanced by Konate’s poor form.
On Sunday, a different version of the former RB Leipzig man was on the pitch as he managed to keep Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko at bay more than once.
And now, while speaking on BBC Sports’ Football Daily Podcast, former Premier League player Morrison shared his thoughts on the centre-back’s performance.
“Liverpool’s best defender, and he had his best game of the season, was Konate; he was bailing Van Dijk out,” he said.
“That doesn’t usually happen. Does it? It’s usually Van Dijk bailing him out.”
Ibrahima Konate must stay at the level he showed on Sunday for the rest of Liverpool’s season
Konate is now in the final year of his contract with Liverpool.
Several clubs have been linked with the centre-back, with Real Madrid among the most interested.
Rumours of Konate making the move to Xabi Alonso’s team have died down recently, but if he keeps performing to this level, those talks are likely to start emerging once again.
It’s clear that Liverpool want to keep hold of the Frenchman, especially since they’ve already offered him several different deals.
However, since there are other clubs likely to be interested in him at the moment, most fans think the Frenchman has been distracted by these rumours, which has thrown him off his game.
Ibrahima Konate lines up ahead of Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Galatasaray at Rams Park.
Photo by BURAK BASTURK/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
So, if he wants to prove his worth and show that he deserves a new deal or even a big-money move elsewhere, he needs to keep his form up to his usual standards.
Otherwise, nobody is going to be interested in the 26-year-old, which would be a massive fall from grace for the defender.