Ibrahima Konate reveals manager's BRUTAL message: 'Saliba is better than you'

Playing every game alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, and on the verge of extending his contract, Ibrahima Konate has started the season well.

Liverpool have been able to win 15 of their opening 17 matches of the season, conceding just 10 goals in that time.

And as the Reds sit at the top of the Champions League table and the Premier League table, debates have been flying around as to who the best centre-back in England is.

While for many Van Dijk sits at the top of fans' rankings, Arsenal's William Saliba has been knocking on the door, although Liverpool fans feel the Frenchman has yet to surpass his fellow countryman in Konate.

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However, when it comes to featuring for the French national team on international duty, the debate significantly hots up.

Konate reveals why he was dropped

In the offseason break following the 2023/24 season, the Copa America and the Euros took place, so players were quickly sprung back into action after a tiring domestic campaign.

However, after becoming a regular in the French national team in the lead-up to the tournament, Konate found he had been dropped in favour of his title rival, Saliba.

Speaking to Canal Football Club, as per FootMercato, he said: "It was hard from a private and personal point of view. But now William Saliba is a friend, he's like a brother to me, so when he was a starter, I talked to him and I said 'this is your moment, take it, I've played a lot of matches'.

"The performances he’s had at Arsenal recently, he deserves them too. I was happy for him.

"I know the ins and outs of why I wasn't a starter. I hadn’t played in the last few months, I lacked rhythm, and it showed in training. The coach [Didier Deschamps] told me that today, there are better players than me in this position. It was a big lesson for me."

While few can often be preferred to Konate when he's fully fit, it is understandable that a team needs its best players when available, and so Saliba was preferred.

However, in the international breaks since France's semifinal defeat, Konate has been back amongst the squad and briefly captained his country in Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni's absence.

Proving his doubters wrong

Despite Deschamps' harsh criticism of the centre-back, Konate has managed to start this season particularly well, making himself undroppable in Arne Slot's Liverpool team.

The partnership he has formed with Van Dijk is now tighter than ever as the imperious pair hardly miss a duel and suffocate the opposition in front of goal.

As such, he has been credited by some Liverpool fans as being the best defender in the team, which may seem harsh on Van Dijk, but given the noise around the Dutchman's contract situation, it is extremely positive to hear that work on Konate's contract is already in full swing.

The 25-year-old has made himself one of France's first names on the team sheet partnering Saliba, as Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano and Chelsea's Wesley Fofana are often left to sit on the bench.

As the players begin to fly out this week for the third international break of the season, Konate faces the prospect of Israel and Italy in the Nations League before returning to Liverpool for an extraordinarily busy winter.

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