Rio Ferdinand has identified the "dream scenario" for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's involving the club’s central defender Ibrahima Konate.
The French defender was the only arrival into the Reds' first-team ranks last summer after they triggered his release clause at RB Leipzig, thought to be £36million. Despite only featuring in eight Premier League games this campaign, Konate has played a much bigger role on the European stage for the Reds.
The 22-year-old has not featured as prominently in the Premier League due to Joel Matip being the preferred defensive partner of Virgil van Dijk in the heart of Klopp’s defence. However, Wednesday night’s Champions League semi-final against Villarreal was his sixth start in the competition.
Konate also played from the start in the Round of 16 victory at Inter and was then played from the start in both of the quarter-final legs against Portuguese side Benfica. Not only was Konate an impressive defensive figure in all those fixtures, but he also found the net in each game against the Lisbon-based side – heading home from a corner in each leg. The defender also found the net in the FA Cup semi-final victory over Manchester City this month.
Klopp’s management of the defender has now drawn the praise of Ferdinand, who used Konate as an example of a player who was not always involved in the Liverpool first-team but who was ready to make an impact when called upon. Ferdinand’s comments came just days after Divock Origi netted against Everton – a striker who is rarely deployed by Klopp but has built a reputation at Anfield as being able to make an impact from the bench.
Speaking on BT Sport ahead of Wednesday’s clash at Anfield, Ferdinand explained: “I think the most impressive thing for me is the way he (Klopp) has been able to utilise his squad. Just shuffling the back at any given time, and those players are coming in and impacting the team.
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“They are playing big roles in that, (Ibrahima) Konate is a good example for that, he has come in and scored goal after goal, and as a manager, it is a dream scenario at the business end of the season.”
Liverpool are enjoying greater strength in depth in their ranks this season than before despite not being particularly busy in the transfer market, with Konate the only major arrival at the club last summer. Luis Diaz, signed from FC Porto, joined the Reds in the January transfer window and has instantly established himself in the first team.
