France have confirmed that Ibrahima Konate will not be a part of their squad for the 2021 Olympics which means the new signing will be at pre-season from day one.
Pre-season will start on the 12th of July and he will be able to get all the preparation he needs to start like a house on fire for Liverpool.
The Reds have committed to paying a package deal worth as much as €63m (£54.2m), with the 22-year-old set to earn €21.1m (£18.2m) over the course of his five-year deal with the Anfield outfit.
France’s official Twitter account announced the team that will travel to the Tokyo Games from July 21 and Konate is not amongst those named.
BUDAPEST – (lr) Myron Boadu of Holland, Ibrahima Konate of France during the UEFA EURO U21 quarter-final match between Netherlands U21 and France U21 at the Bozsik Arena on May 31, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
Konate already featured for his country this summer after his U21 side was eliminated from the U21 European Championships by the Netherlands.
It was a good chance for Liverpool fans to watch him live and even though his team was sent home at the quarter-final stage, he showed the aggression and defensive nous that prompted the Reds to pay €41.8m (£36million) to trigger his release clause.
I wonder if he’ll need much time to get used to the pace of the Premier League although having played for RB Leipzig in the Champions League, he’s certainly played at a high level.
Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate jumps for the ball with PSG’s Kylian Mbappe (background) during the UEFA Champions League Group H second-leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
We learned in April that RBL coaching staff consider Konate to be the future best defender in the world and who better to learn from than Virgil van Dijk?
The Frenchman will be able to train and play with the current best defender in the world and at just 22, he has several years to reach his new teammate’s level.
Joe Gomez, who is recovering from a particularly nasty patellar tendon injury, will fight Konate for a place in the starting XI and the competition for a starting role will only see Liverpool’s chances of success increase.
KIRKBY, ENGLAND – JANUARY 21: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Joe Gomez of Liverpool during a recovery training session at AXA Training Centre on January 21, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The 2021/22 Premier League season holds a lot of promise but Liverpool will be keen to avoid injuries to ensure they can make the most of the potential for success.
Naby Keita is someone that might be set for a watershed campaign if he can avoid injuries.
