Ibou Konate has been told that ‘there is always room for improvement’ by France boss Didier Deschamps as he looks to consolidate himself as a regular starter for Les Bleus.
The Liverpool star started alongside Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano on Friday night as the 2018 World Cup winners defeated the Netherlands 4-0 at the Stade de France in Paris.
Following Raphael Varane’s shock retirement from international football recently, the former RB Leipzig duo now look set to be Deschamps’ first choice central defensive pairing but that hasn’t stopped the 54-year-old from sending them a stern warning about their form and consistency.
“Over time there is always room for improvement,“Deschamps told RMC Sport (via Get Football News France). “They are young lads who play at the highest level with their club. They were at the World Cup, even if Dayot played more than ‘Ibou’. They have a lot of qualities and that needs to be confirmed first, before comparing them to other players. They have to maintain this level of performance over time.“
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Konate has been one of Liverpool’s more consistent performers this season while many of our other defenders have struggled to perform at their best.
His pace combined with his strength means he’s a quality option to have in our backline, especially when coming up against fast attackers, and at just 23-years of age he certainly has a bright future ahead of him.
Our No. 5 will be continuing to learn and build on the experience of playing alongside Virgil van Dijk – someone who has become recognised as the world’s best defender in recent years – while also attempting to build his own legacy.
With Joel Matip and Joe Gomez struggling for form this term it’ll be interesting to see if Jurgen Klopp looks to sign a new central defender in the summer in an attempt to find a long-term partner for the Frenchman.
Konate will be looking to pick up more minutes tomorrow when France take on Ireland in Dublin.