"Best centre-back in the world" - Ibrahima Konate on Liverpool defensive partner

Ibrahima Konate has hailed his teammate Virgil van Dijk.

Speaking to RMCSport, as quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, the defender has said that Van Dijk has given him a lot of solid advice since he joined Liverpool last summer.

"Van Dijk is the best centre-back in the world and he gives me a lot of advice," Konate said.

“Not just Van Dijk, but rather all of the players like (Joe) Gomez and (Joel) Matip. These are experienced players who have helped me. Every Liverpool player has helped me, in every position like Sadio Mane and Fabinho.

“It’s only the start and I hope to learn a lot of things and progress. In terms of my qualities, I think I’m fast, and that I am intelligent in spite of my physical qualities. Finally, I’m not afraid to have the ball at my feet.

"We also played a very high line at Leipzig. I’ve learnt a lot of things at Liverpool. Just by looking at Van Dijk’s game, I saw that he ran less than me during games and I couldn’t understand why. I need to improve my positioning.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

Since Konate joined Liverpool for a reported fee of £36 million from RB Leipzig last summer, he has massively impressed and most people suspect he's going to be Van Dijk's long-term centre-back partner.

The fact that he is only 23-years-old is also crazy. He looks like a mini Van Dijk in the making and with the right guidance, he is on course to become one of the best centre-backs in world football.

I'm sure we'll look back on this transfer in the next 10 years and question how Liverpool managed to sign him for such a cheap transfer fee.

Keep a close eye on Konate next season because I think he's going to be considered world-class very soon.