Ibrahima Konate SNUBBED by manager for key role

Liverpool have an extensive number of leaders in the Reds dressing room and fans had hoped we might see one more this week.

While the clubs' leadership team currently includes Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, Andrew Robertson and Alisson Becker, many other players feature for and captain their national teams.

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From Wataru Endo captaining the Japanese team to Dominik Szoboszlai captaining the Hungarian team, Liverpool have many a figurehead in their stocks.

And while Ibrahima Konate is not the captain of the French national team, many fans' ears pricked up when reports surfaced that the armband was up for grabs.

Having featured extensively for Liverpool and France over a number of years now, Konate has gone from strength to strength at the back and will undoubtedly be taking notes on the way Van Dijk marshalls the Reds from defence.

Reports emerged earlier this week that France needed a new captain after Kylian Mbappe was left out of the side this time around and Antoine Griezmann - the previous vice-captain - had announced his international retirement.

Real Madrid star preferred over Konate

Konate was part of a three-man shortlist produced yesterday, which involved PSG's Jules Kounde and Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni.

In an article from RFM Sport, Konate was praised for his "charisma and personality [which] are unanimous in the locker room", which gave him a good chance of being given the honour.

However, Equipe De France confirmed that Tchouameni had been chosen instead of Konate for the team's matches against Israel and Belgium.

With the likes of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, it will be interesting to see who French coach Didier Deschamps starts tomorrow, but after seeing him week-in week-out, we all know that Konate's dominance in the air is unrivalled.

The centre-back showcased his latest fashionista creation when he arrived for international duty earlier this week and will be hoping to continue his good form this season.