Liverpool are waiting patiently for their defence to return to full strength ahead of the festive period.

The Reds have been hit by a number of untimely injury problems to their backline in a crucial time of the season.

The most impactful of the absences has comfortably been first choice centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

Konate has been excellent this term but was injured after a collision with Endrick in the last second of November’s win over Real Madrid.

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With a knee injury on the cards, the initial prognosis was a worrying one for Liverpool fans.

However, it has since been claimed that Konate may be back sooner than expected and as he continues his recovery at the Liverpool training ground, the Frenchman has posted a new update.

Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Liverpool have certainly missed Konate since his injury.

Although Joe Gomez has stepped in and done well, the Reds have conceded five times in their past two Premier League games.

With Konate in the starting XI, Liverpool let in only eight across 12 matches.

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As a result, supporters will be hopeful that Ibou can be back over the next couple of weeks.

From the update the 25-year-old posted on his Instagram stories on Thursday, it’s hard to say exactly what his recovery is looking like.

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Konate shared a snap of himself sitting on some equipment in the mirror of the Liverpool training gym.

Although his knees are blocked slightly, the centre-back does not appear to be wearing a brace of any description – as he had been previously – and the fact that he’s fully kitted up in training gear is hopefully a good sign, too.

Konate will certainly miss this Sunday’s game against Tottenham, with a nice Christmas break in order for the defender.

Liverpool’s next match then comes on Thursday, with Leicester visiting Anfield, before the Reds travel to play West Ham the following Sunday.

With three games in such quick succession, it feels unlikely at this point that Konate will be back to fitness quick enough to play in any of them.

Instead, the Anfield clash with Man United on January 5th may be the one that’s being pencilled in for now.

But we’ll have to see how it goes.

In the meantime, Liverpool will be desperately hoping for no further issues for Gomez, Virgil van Dijk or Jarell Quansah as they try to navigate through a difficult period.
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