Jurgen Klopp provided an update on Ibrahima Konate’s injury before Liverpool’s match against Newcastle, and it’s not exactly good news.
Having been labeled an injury “doubt” by Klopp in his pre-game news conference, Konate was not included for the matchday squad.
He will return during the international break, Klopp said on the Premier League’s international broadcast. Serious enough but not overly so.
Perhaps a chance for [Aston] Villa, however I anticipate his return following the international break.
This indicates that his next appearance in a red shirt will probably be on September 16 against Wolves. In theory, it also prevents him from being called up for international duty, which will speed up his recuperation.
For the game against Newcastle, Joel Matip steps in for the Frenchman, teaming up for the first time this year with Virgil van Dijk, and Andy Robertson completes the back three when Liverpool has the ball.
Matip has played this position before, but he has always displayed a strong lack of comfort when it comes to covering wide areas.
Wataru Endo makes his midfield debut for Liverpool in the opening minutes of the game, and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports: “Everything we did in training, Wataru looks really good so it was clear that he will start today.”
Diogo [Jota] was unable to train yesterday, according to Klopp. He was unable to train because of a minor illness that a few players had this week, which prevented us from having a really crucial tactical session.
In addition to Joe Gomez, who comes off the bench against Newcastle, Klopp has also highlighted Jarell Quansah as a defensive alternative.
