Arne Slot provides update on Ibrahima Konate’s injury
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Image Credits: Imago ImagesIt has been a season defined by setbacks, and Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield delivered another one — this time in the form of Ibrahima Konate limping off late in the game, adding fresh anxiety to a Liverpool squad already stretched to its limit.Konate had been one of several selection concerns heading into the Chelsea fixture.He missed a midweek training session for personal reasons before returning on Thursday and Friday, and was handed a starting berth regardless.Speaking in his post-match press conference, Arne Slot delivered a cautiously optimistic update — while making clear that nothing is certain yet.“Konate, we always have to wait and see, the way he limped off,” Slot said.“He told me it was cramp, let’s hope he’s right.”“We have to wait and see tomorrow how he feels and how it works out.”The timing is uncomfortable.Konate’s contract at Liverpool expires on June 30, 2026, making him a free agent in a matter of weeks.Talks over an extension have been ongoing for months.A player potentially heading into the final weeks of his Liverpool career, limping off at Anfield, with a contract still unsigned — it is not the image the club would have wanted.The broader injury picture at least offered some more encouraging news.Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker, both absent on Saturday with hamstring issues, are edging closer to a return.“Mo is close to returning, Ali is close to returning,” Slot confirmed.Both players have been unavailable since before the 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend, a result that saw Liverpool concede a league double to Manchester United for the first time since 2016. Their absence has been felt acutely.Liverpool have averaged fewer than one goal per game across the matches Salah has missed this season, and the attacking threat has been visibly diminished without him.On Florian Wirtz, who was ruled out of the Chelsea game entirely after his illness earlier in the week proved more draining than anticipated, Slot was slightly more measured.“With Flo we have to wait and see how he’s recovering after what he has,” the Dutchman said — leaving the door open for a return against Aston Villa on Friday, but stopping short of a firm guarantee.Liverpool remain fourth in the table, still not mathematically confirmed in the top five, with a trip to Villa Park to come in their penultimate match of the season.Champions League qualification would represent the minimum acceptable outcome from a campaign that began with the title defence and has slowly unravelled into a scramble for survival in the top four.If Salah and Wirtz return at Villa Park, Liverpool will look considerably more like themselves.If Konate’s cramp proves to be something more serious, they will face that game with their defensive options stretched even further than they already are.Another week, another set of questions Slot needs to find answers to.
Arne Slot Ibrahima Konate