LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, November 6, 2022: Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté during the pre-match warm-up before the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“Should be fine” – Ibrahima Konate World Cup fears allayed with injury timescale set

Having missed out on Liverpool’s win over Southampton on Saturday, there have been obvious concerns as to whether Ibrahima Konate will be fit to take part at the World Cup with France.

The centre-back was confirmed in Didier Deschamps final 26-man squad on Wednesday, having recently returned from injury with the Reds.

And with just one week to go until the tournament gets underway in Qatar, Konate was not named in the Liverpool squad to face the Saints.

Reports prior to the game suggested his latest injury was only a minor one, and Jurgen Klopp confirmed that to be the case at full-time.

The boss believes Konate should be fine in “five or six days,” with the 23-year-old still expected to join up with his France team-mates on Monday.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, October 16, 2022: Liverpool's injured Ibrahima Konaté on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 1-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Had the problem been more serious, though, there’s every chance Konate would have had to miss the World Cup, such is the ludicrous scheduling that sees the tournament begin just one week after the top European leagues grind to a halt.

“Ibou couldn’t play for us today, I really think he should be fine,” Klopp told Sky Sports after the win over Southampton.

“It maybe needs five or six days, then he should be fine.

“But for everybody, it’s a catastrophe. You’re happy when you get the call that you’re in the squad, and then you have to get through.

“I know, the boys are professionals, but the professional is not the problem, the human side causes us some struggles.”

French football journalist Julien Laurens has also reported that there is “nothing to worry about” in regards to Konate’s fitness.

Laurens claims Liverpool were not keen to take any risks with Konate against Southampton, and says he’ll report to France’s training camp as normal at the start of next week.

After a hugely impressive debut campaign with the Reds, the ex-RB Leipzig centre-back has been thwarted by injuries for much of this season.

The knee injury he picked up in Liverpool’s final pre-season match against Strasbourg kept him out for the first two months of the season, with another minor setback last month.

It’s unclear how often Konate will feature in Qatar, but Klopp, and Liverpool supporters all over the land, will certainly be hoping he comes through the tournament unscathed.