Liverpool FC rocked by Ibrahima Konaté injury as Champions League tie with Real Madrid looms
Liverpool have been dealt another blow after Ibrahima Konate was ruled out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury.
With Virgil van Dijk not expected to return from a similar issue for at least a fortnight, that leaves Jurgen Klopp running out of options and is likely to sabotage any potential deadline move for Nat Phillips.
Konaté was injured in Sunday’s FA Cup outing at Brighton and it is understood he will likely miss the next games against Wolves, Everton and Newcastle, with doubts currently over whether he will be fit for the visit of the Champions League from Real Madrid on February 21.
Liverpool recalled 21-year-old centre-back Rhys Williams from loan with Championship side Blackpool last week to cover the possibility of Phillips leaving in this window.
Phillips, 25, has made just five appearances this season and, although Liverpool have no intention of pushing him out, it was thought he could move on with a number of interested clubs by him.
However, Konate’s injury makes that scenario highly unlikely, with the only two fit senior centre-backs in Joe Gomez and Joel Matip Klopp.
Additional PA Reports
standard Sport
