Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed centre-back Ibrahima Konate is closing in on a first-team return following a month-long spell on the sidelines.
The France international Konate has been unavailable through injury since January 29 when he last turned out in Liverpool’s FA Cup fourth round exit at the hands of Brighton.
His absence has been a major blow for Liverpool who are seeking to finish in the top four this season to qualify for the Champions League but face a stern challenge in doing so with the backline not impressing with inconsistent displays.
Klopp’s men shipped five goals in the Champions League Last 16 first leg defeat to Real Madrid earlier this week and Konate’s return to the Anfield fold will be a welcome sight for the Liverpool faithful who are eager to see their side perform at their best for the remainder of the season.
In his pre match presser ahead of the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday, Klopp claimed that Konate was nearing his first team return after being sidelined due to injury.
“Ibou [Konate] is near but only two sessions after a long injury.
“You can see when the boys come on they aren’t at their best yet. We have to make changes and we will. It’s not that you come back from a long injury and it clicks back to normal, Virgil [van Dijk] too.
“We need to find some consistency in the way we play. It cannot be all about emotions… We just have to start believing in ourselves again and bring our quality on the pitch.
“There are a lot of good things but we are not stable yet. We have to work on that stability.”
