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Liverpool have been fantastic across the pitch this season and deservedly lead the way in the Premier League after 11 games.

The Reds are five points clear of Manchester City and nine clear of Arsenal, having won nine of their 11 Premier League under Arne Slot, losing just once.

Liverpool’s backline has been particularly imperious this season, with club captain Virgil van Dijk seemingly returning to his best.

But Martin Keown believes the Reds have a defender who has been even better than the towering Dutchman this season.

Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

Ibrahima Konate has featured in every Premier League and UEFA Champions League game for Liverpool this season and is playing some of the best football of his career.

The Frenchman has forged a fantastic partnership with Van Dijk and the pair have conceded just six Premier League goals this season, keeping as many clean sheets.

Keown described Konate as an ‘outstanding’ player, naming him as the best defender in the Premier League in his column.

However, there was no place for Van Dijk on the list, which included William Saliba and John Stones, among others.

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“What I do see at Liverpool is Konate being quite outstanding, he’s probably gone ahead of Van Dijk,” said Keown on talkSPORT.

“The way that he gets tight to people, his mobility, his confidence, every area of the game, he’s looking quite awesome.

“They’ve hardly conceded any goals this season, I know it’s about a partnership.

But he looks like he’s coming out of the shadow at Van Dijk, so Konate is probably the best one for me.”

The Reds are more solid defensively under Slot when compared to the last two seasons under Klopp when they frequently conceded the opening goal in games.

Stats 24-25GamesGoals scoredGoals concededClean sheetsWinsLossesDrawsLiverpool17391091511

They’ve conceded just ten goals in 17 games across all competitions, thanks in no small parts to Konate and Van Dijk.

Slot believes Konate is really underrated, but Keown’s claims that he’s currently better than Van Dijk are a bit over the top, to say the least.

Nevertheless, the Frenchman is in fine form and is enjoying one of his strongest spells at the club since his £36m transfer in 2021.

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