'He is quick': Gary Lineker impressed by what he's seen from 'intelligent' Liverpool player recently
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Liverpool put in an impressive display in midweek to beat AC Milan in the Champions League.
The Reds needed a performance having been beaten by Nottingham Forest on Saturday and came up trumps in Italy.
There were a number of really good performers for Liverpool on the day. Cody Gakpo earned praise from Virgil van Dijk while Ryan Gravenberch has since been named in the UEFA Team of the Week.
The midfield as a whole was actually very good, with Gravenberch’s partnership with Alexis Mac Allister beginning to blossom and Dominik Szoboszlai getting himself on the scoresheet.
Szoboszlai was one of three players getting their first goals for Liverpool this season, with Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate also weighing in.
And after Konate notched for the first time in almost two-and-a-half years, Gary Lineker has praised the Frenchman.
Gary Lineker impressed by Ibrahima Konate
It has been pleasing to see just how good Konate has been this season. The 25-year-old hit the lowest point of his Liverpool career at the end of the last campaign.
In April, Konate’s put in an horrendous display against Everton and was justifiably benched for Jarell Quansah from there on in.
However, despite Quansah retaining his place in the starting XI for the beginning of the season, Konate has since stepped up and knocked him out of it.
His goal in Milan was another signal that Konate is back to his best, and speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast on Friday, Lineker had some words of praise for Liverpool’s No.5.
READ MORE: Watch as Liverpool players vote Ibrahima Konate out of rondo session during training
“Konate and Van Dijk obviously scored those two goals,” said the Match of the Day presenter while analysing the 3-1 win.
“They seem to be becoming a regular and solid pairing. Obviously, Van Dijk has been an ever-present for many years now.
“He (Konate) is quick, he's strong, he's big, he's good in the air, seems to be, you know, intelligent in his defensive work. Is there a flaw?” he asked co-host Micah Richards.
Liverpool must keep Ibrahima Konate fit
Some had perhaps forgotten just how good Konate can be as a central defender.
The former RB Leipzig man did really struggle towards the end of last season, in what was another campaign affected by injuries.
However, this is a defender who dominated Vinicius Junior in the 2022 Champions League final aged just 23. Konate is special.
His partnership with Van Dijk is clearly Liverpool’s best one at the back, despite the emergence of Quansah.
In his three seasons at Anfield so far, Konate has registered 11, 18 then 22 appearances in the Premier League. If that can improve this year, then Liverpool will be much better for it. It’s early days still, but the signs so far are good.
