Virgil van Dijk has hailed one ‘outstanding’ Liverpool player who’s ‘still growing’ and has ‘everything that a modern-day footballer needs’.
The Reds captain was speaking about his centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate in the wake of his colossal performance in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal last Saturday, when the 24-year-old played a pivotal role in helping his team to secure a point against the Premier League leaders.
Ahead of this evening’s trip to Burnley, the Dutchman said of his younger defensive colleague (via Liverpool Echo): “He’s still growing. He’s an outstanding defender. He has everything that a modern-day footballer needs to be at the absolute top of centre-backs. There’s a lot of demands from us.
“We play with the ball, keep a high line. You need the pace and deal lots of space to defend in behind. He needs pace and heading as well. He’s doing it well.
“He is learning. I speak a lot with him about certain things because it’s my duty to share experiences with him. He’s still learning and he can be even better than he is. Same goes with Jarell Quansah.
“I just look to share my experiences. I’ve been in the game for quite a while now and been quite successful. I try to give that to the young players. These players at this age are even better than I was, but obviously it’s about doing it in the long run.
“I’m pleased with how he is now but he can be even better, he can progress. It’s nice to see the progression and development, it’s also nice to see that they listen and are willing to listen and learn. Let’s see what it brings.”
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At 24, Konate is in that sweet spot of boasting plenty of high-level experience (180 senior appearances at club level) while also being yet to hit his peak and still having the bulk of his career ahead of him.
His time with Liverpool has been interrupted by injuries since his 2021 move, but his performance against Arsenal showed why the Reds were willing to spend a reported £36m on him (The Independent).
The Frenchman made two magnificent tackles to thwart Gabriel Martinelli on Saturday, along with winning seven duels (Sofascore) as he proved to be an absolute rock in our defence.
Konate has all the tools required to be a true centre-back stalwart at Anfield, but as Van Dijk says, the challenge is to prove that over several seasons.
Should the 24-year-old remain largely injury-free, the scope is absolutely there for him to demonstrate that, as good as he’s been so far, the best is yet to come in terms of his Liverpool career. When it does, it’ll be a sight to behold.
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