'Every area of the game': Martin Keown says Liverpool have the best player in the league in his position

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Liverpool have gone into the November international break in the best possible position.

The Reds currently sit top of both the Premier League table and the Champions League standings.

There were some worries in pre-season that Jurgen Klopp's exit would lead to a period of transition as the team got to grips with Arne Slot's tactics and methods.

However, this has not proven the case, with Liverpool sitting five points clear at the Premier League summit and even leading the standings in the Champions League group table.

Now, Arsenal legend Martin Keown has deemed one Liverpool player the best in the English top flight in his position.

Martin Keown says Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate has been the Premier League’s best defender so far this season

The player in question is Ibrahima Konate, who has been superb for the Reds at centre-back this term.

Keown, writing on talkSPORT, rated the Liverpool defender higher than Arsenal’s William Saliba and Manchester City’s John Stones.

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

“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.”

Robbie Mustoe recently echoed Keown’s sentiments in praising Konate.

“He's very rarely talked of, he's very rarely appreciated, I think, in a defence that's looking super, super tight again, back to the best of Liverpool, when they're difficult to break down,” he said.

“His kind of, his raw physicality, speed, athleticism, defensive mind, is a brilliant foil for Virgil van Dijk."

Konate’s impressive Premier League stats

Konate struggled for Liverpool towards the end of last season, and his starting spot was under threat, with Jarell Quansah snapping at his heels.

However, the 25-year-old looks revitalised this term and has been a key reason why the Reds have conceded just six goals in 11 Premier League matches.

As per Sofascore, Konate’s pass accuracy percentage in the Premier League this season stands at 91 percent, and he has recovered an average of 2.9 balls per game and made 3.6 clearances per game.

In addition, Konate’s ground duel win percentage stands at 63 percent and his aerial duel percentage is an impressive 82 percent.