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Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate withdraws from the France squad due to injury, but Arne Slot has two emergency centre-back options for the Reds’ upcoming Premier League clash with Liverpool.
Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has pulled out of the France squad with a thigh injury, deepening Arne Slot‘s potential central crisis when Premier League football returns.
The 26-year-old sustained the issue during last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and Slot admitted in the immediate aftermath that “alarm bells” went off when he spoke with the centre-back.
Konate was nevertheless called up to the France squad for their World Cup 2026 qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Iceland, although he was an unused substitute against the former on Friday night.
Instead, Arsenal’s William Saliba and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano paired up in defence for Les Bleus, who strode to a 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan as a stricken Konate watched on from the bench.
France now prepare to battle Iceland in Reykjavik on Monday, but Konate will not be involved in the fixture, as the former RB Leipzig man has been sent back to Anfield for treatment and has been replaced by Marseille’s Benjamin Pavard.
Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate withdraws from France squad with thigh injury
“Ibrahima Konate was released to his club this Saturday, Benjamin Pavard was called up as reinforcement,” a statement read. “During his last match with Liverpool, against Chelsea on October 4, the central defender felt discomfort in the quadriceps of his right thigh.
“Ibrahima Konate has been receiving treatment and following an adapted protocol since his arrival at Clairefontaine on Monday, but he will not be able to play in Reykjavik on Monday.
“After speaking with the player and Franck Le Gall, the French team doctor, Didier Deschamps decided to return Ibrahima Konate to his club’s availability and replace him in the squad with Benjamin Pavard.”
It is still unclear how long Konate could be sidelined for, but the France international is now an immediate doubt for the Reds’ upcoming games against Manchester United (October 19) and Eintracht Frankfurt (October 22).
The 26-year-old has started all seven of Liverpool’s Premier League matches in the 2025-26 campaign so far, as well as playing the full 90 in their Champions League clashes with Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray.
Ibrahima Konate injury: What could Liverpool’s defence look like against Man Utd?
The only game Konate has missed for Liverpool so far this season was their 2-1 EFL Cup third-round win over Southampton, where youngster Giovanni Leoni suffered a cruel season-ending ACL injury.
Konate and Leoni are not the only central defensive options on the sidelines for Liverpool, as Wataru Endo withdrew from the Japan squad for the October international break with an unspecified problem.
While Endo has primarily played in midfield for Liverpool, the former Stuttgart man is also adept in the heart of defence, and Slot could therefore be down to the bare bones when Man United visit Anfield next weekend.
Right now, a pairing of Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk looks to be the likeliest solution to Liverpool’s troubles, although the former cannot be trusted to stay fit and was overlooked by Slot against Chelsea when Konate suffered his injury.
Instead, the Dutchman could stick Ryan Gravenberch in central defence and start either Curtis Jones or Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Alexis Mac Allister, although Andy Robertson could be a second emergency option.
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