Arne Slot claims Liverpool are carefully managing Ibrahima Konate’s load after the France defender said he is playing with pain in his knee. Konate, 25, returned after nearly six weeks out against Manchester United at the start of the month and has featured in four games for Liverpool. He says he still has discomfort in his knee and Slot says the club are trying to give him breaks by playing Jarell Quansah in his place.
Slot says this is normal when a player comes back after a long absence and that he will soon be able to play three times a week. “I think you’ve seen how we try to manage that,” said the Liverpool head coach. “I think we skipped him twice, didn’t we? Or at least the Lille game, Jarell played. That’s maybe because he still has some pain in his knee. Don’t exaggerate it, but he probably feels it’s safe for him to play.
“But it’s more the load where you’re aware a player has been out for five or six weeks and then you play him every three days. That, in our opinion, is a certain risk, so we always try to manage that and I think he now comes to a moment where he would be able to play three times a week.”.
Slot also ruled Curtis Jones out of Saturday’s clash with Ipswich at Anfield with the knee injury he sustained against Lille on Tuesday. Slot says it is not serious and he hopes the England midfielder will return against PSV Eindhoven in midweek or Bournemouth next weekend.
