Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has described Reds defender Ibrahima Konate as an “absolute dream” of a player.
The Anfield icon was speaking on Off the Ball in wake of Liverpool’s progress to the Champions League semi-finals.
Konate has enjoyed a superb maiden season for Liverpool following his arrival from RB Leipzig last summer.
Jurgen Klopp has used the 22-year-old sparingly over the course of the campaign.
With the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip ahead of him in the pecking order, it’s not surprising.
Nonetheless, 18 of Konate’s 21 appearances for Liverpool this season have been starts.
This shows how much Klopp trusts the France Under-21 star to impress from the off.
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In addition, Konate has started five Champions League matches this season.
And in the quarter-final tie against Benfica, he opened the scoring in both the first leg and the second leg.
Liverpool played out a 3-3 draw on the night and beat the Portuguese outfit 6-4 on aggregate.
Better still, Klopp made seven changes from the side which drew against Manchester City.
This shows the strength in depth at Liverpool’s disposal, which has kept them in contention for the quadruple.
“Konate is looking like an absolute dream,” Thompson told Off the Ball.
“He’s a wonderful player, so there are no problems making these changes.”
Van Dijk and Matip are both 30, so it’s important for Klopp to keep an eye out on successors.
In Konate, he already has one – at just 22, he’s already shining in the Premier League and Champions League.
It’ll be exciting to see just how much Konate can develop over the coming years and how great he’ll be when he hits his peak.