Martin Keown was impressed by what he saw from Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate in the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Benfica last night.
The Frenchman opened the scoring at Anfield with a brilliantly placed header, as he had done in Lisbon a week earlier, and Keown described the former RB Leipzig man as ‘physically dominant’.
“That’s an absolute brilliant header,” the Arsenal legend told BT Sport (via The Boot Room).
“It looks almost like he was disinterested and suddenly changes gear and attacks it at the highest point.
“Look at that. Climbs higher than everyone else.
“He’s just physically dominant, soars over the top of his opponents.”
Joel Matip has been the preferred option alongside Virgil van Dijk for most of the season, but each time Konate has been called upon, he has impressed.
Jurgen Klopp made seven changes for last night’s clash with the Portuguese giants which led to a less than comfortable defensive showing.
We still managed to get the job done, though, and we now have a semi-final clash with La Liga outfit Villarreal to look forward to.
Konate is only 22-years-old, he still has his best years ahead of him and has the perfect player to learn from in the form of van Dijk.
He may have to be patient and wait until he becomes a regular starter under Klopp.
He’s still made 21 appearances for the Reds this season meaning he can be more than happy with his first season on Merseyside.
We still have a lot to fight for this season, though, and remain in contention for another three trophies following our League Cup success in February
We’ll need the entire squad ready when needed as the games are going to continue coming thick and fast.