Ibrahima Konaté Returns to French Camp

Due to Diogo Jota’s unfortunately timed calf injury in October, the only Liverpool player who currently has a shot at bringing home the World Cup trophy is defender Ibrahima Konaté. Les Bleus are looking to defend their World Cup title against Leo Messi and Argentina on Sunday afternoon.

This feat is more impressive when taking into account the list of injuries suffered by Didier Deschamps’ squad during this tournament. The latest situation was a virus that felled both Adrien Rabiot and Dayot Upamecano and kept them from participating in the semi-final against Morocco.

There was a fear as the week went on that Konaté would be the latest victim of the virus making its way through the French team, along with fellow defender Raphaël Varane. Both players missed training on Friday due to sickness.

However, the French publication L’ Equipe claims that both players rejoined the team on Saturday to get ready for final preparations for the big event.

Konaté has received more playing time than originally anticipated in this competition due to Varane picking up a leg injury while playing for Manchester United. The Liverpool defender played most of the group stage games as well as the 2-0 victory against Morocco in the semi-final.

Despite his fitness, it’s more likely that he will start Sunday’s match on the bench. However, the bench will be the closest that any other Liverpool player will be, so hopefully he performs well in whatever role he’s asked to play.