A sigh of relief: Klopp delivers rare promising injury update on vital player

Jürgen Klopp has delivered an optimistic update regarding the fitness of Ibrahima Konate.

The defender panicked supporters after he sustained a muscle injury during Liverpool's recent 5-1 victory over Sparta Prague.

Despite Liverpool's commanding four-goal lead as they head into the second leg at Anfield, the availability of Konate for the upcoming crucial clash against Manchester City remains uncertain.

Konate's injury scare occurred shortly after halftime, prompting his substitution for Virgil van Dijk. Klopp later revealed that the former RB Leipzig star had expressed concerns over potentially aggravating the injury, which led to the precautionary decision to remove him from play.

Following the match, Klopp told the gathered reporters: “No, we don’t know it. Ibou said to me when he passed me in that moment, ‘I thought if I did another sprint then it could be bad’.

“So, he said ‘should be fine’ but we don’t know.”

Klopp was asked about the injury by TNT journalist Danny Jamieson, who reports on X: "Ibrahima Konate’s substitution was precautionary – ‘he (Klopp) said if he carried on it may be a problem so we will see [for Sunday].’"

The French defender has an unfortunate history of injury setbacks, having missed four games already this season with 19 in total for club and country since 2021, as per Transfermarkt.

However, this season has seen an improvement in his fitness, with no absences since September. In light of Konate's uncertain status, Liverpool are fortunate to have reliable alternatives in Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, although Gomez has not featured since December.

Konate's potential absence against Manchester City could be a significant loss for Liverpool, given his exceptional form in recent months.

The defensive lineup for Sunday's game might see Conor Bradley stepping in as right-back, with either Gomez or Andy Robertson covering the left full-back position.