Liverpool have had quite the turnaround in defensive options over the past 12 months, and Jurgen Klopp has already stumbled across his next Virgil can Dijk in the process.
Klopp suffered a nightmare season of injuries last year as Liverpool were forced to trust academy duo Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams as a makeshift centre-back partnership, as Joe Gomez, van Dijk and Joel Matip all had lengthy spells on the sidelines. However, they stepped up when Klopp needed them most, and helped guide Liverpool to a third-placed finish.
This season, Klopp has the opposite problem, with some of his defensive stars missing out due to so many outstanding options, and the balance in the squad means that Liverpool are still on course to win the quadruple. And an impressive statistic shows that Klopp has already found the heir to van Dijk's throne.
Klopp is never one to shy away from making changes, and it seems that the German has a different formula for each competition as all areas are freshened up to comply with the demands of their busy fixture schedule. Van Dijk is always a guaranteed starter for every game, but it's usually Joel Matip that partners him in the league, and Ibrahima Konate lines up alongside him in the cup.
Liverpool booked their place in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday as Diogo Jota's late strike was enough to see off Nottingham Forest, as van Dijk kept a clean sheet alongside Konate. And the pair have posted a ruthless record since the Frenchman was signed in the summer from RB Leipzig.
Konate and van Dijk are still unbeaten for Liverpool when lining up as a pair, and the 22-year-old was heaped with praise on Sunday for another outstanding performance. Van Dijk is considered by many as the best centre-back in the world, but as the age of just 22, Konate is already proving that he is capable of one day meeting the Dutchman's standard.
Liverpool's 1-0 win over Forest was the 19th game that Konate are van Dijk have lined up alongside one another, and they are still yet to taste defeat, and they have won 14 of those matches. After last season it was clear that Klopp wanted to strengthen in the centre-back position, but even the German may not have anticipated this impact.
Konate was Liverpool's only summer signing, and the former Leipzig defender cost the Reds £36million, which now appears to be a steal. The 22-year-old giant made his debut for the Bundesliga side back in 2017, meaning that he already has five years of valuable experience under his belt.
And the Frenchman has already been likened to van Dijk, as former Bundesliga star Guido Schaefer said: "He is tall, fast, good technique and he is a little bit of Virgil van Dijk. He has very high-class potential. He is a great athlete, he has good speed and there are no silly tackles - he is an intelligent player."
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And even former Leipzig boss Ralf Rangnick is aware of his potential, as he said when initially signing the Frenchman, who was previously playing for Ligue 2 side Sochaux: "I'm particularly delighted with our coup in signing Ibrahima Konate. We got him on a free transfer from Sochaux. He's so good that he could play for Real Madrid or Barcelona one day."
Unfortunately for Rangnick, his former star is now playing for a direct rival, as Liverpool are chasing second Premier League title whereas Manchester United are struggling for a top-four finish. Matip and van Dijk remain the league pairing for now, but with both defenders at the age of 30, Konate is ready to succeed the pair when his time comes.
Liverpool's squad is perhaps the best it has ever been under Klopp, but their options in defence are certainly a huge part of their dominance this season, and Konate will have a huge part to play between now and the end of the current campaign.
