Ibrahima Konate has admitted he could not have dreamt of being part of the extraordinary and historic season Liverpool are enjoying.
The defender, who signed from RB Leipzig last summer, is set to mark his first year at Anfield with an appearance in the FA Cup final as Liverpool continue their quest for the quadruple.
Konate has already played at Wembley twice, converting his penalty in the Carabao Cup final shootout win over Chelsea and opening the scoring in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City.
The 23-year-old has also played in every minute of the Champions League quarter- and semi-finals, scoring in each leg against Benfica in the last eight.
And he said: “Never at any moment in my life could I have imagined this. I knew I was joining a very big club, a club that has set out to win things, titles and trophies. But this season has been exceptional, a historic one for the club and it’s hard to put into words. It’s super exciting to be a part of.”
Liverpool face Chelsea in their first FA Cup final for a decade and Konate added: “Of course I’m very excited. The whole team is. It’s a huge event. One goal might be enough, whether it’s me who scores it or somebody else, it doesn’t bother me either way. The most important thing is to go and win, then come back to Liverpool and celebrate a great victory.”
Konate is expected to get the nod ahead of Joel Matip to partner Virgil van Dijk on Saturday and the 23-year-old Frenchman said: “I’m very happy to be playing in these big matches which are coming up so frequently. The coach has placed a lot of trust in me and I’m very happy about that.”
