Arne Slot has explained why he chose to select Ibrahima Konate against Manchester United, with the Frenchman starting ahead of Jarell Quansah.
Konate had missed the last eight games prior to the visit of Ruben Amorim’s side, with Joe Gomez tending to fill in at the heart of defence in his absence. But with the latter sustaining a hamstring injury last time against West Ham United, Slot was always going to be forced into a defensive change against United.
Quansah had seemed the obvious choice leading up to the game, with Liverpool’s official website even asking the academy graduate about the possibility of facing United. Instead, Konate was something of a shock selection.
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The former RB Leipzig man was only back in training on Friday, but two days later played the full 90 minutes on his Premier League return. While some could view the decision, and Slot’s reluctance to play Quansah, as an indication that he is not rated by the Dutchman, the Liverpool boss rejected that suggestion.
Asked why he chose Konate, Slot replied: “Because he was fit. If he wouldn’t [have been] then we wouldn’t have started him, then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team he is fit again. It is not to say that he can immediately play two games a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today.
“Like you saw, except for the first game when I chose Quansah, all the other games when Ibou was fit he started, so that’s the answer I think to your question. The moment he is fit, he can start.
"But if you have been out for such a long time it’s difficult to immediately play then two games a week, so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn’t play on Wednesday. But he played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes that he was ready to play.”
It seems likely that Quansah will start against Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal first leg and afford the youngster a rare opportunity. The center-back has started just two Premier League matches all season, one of which came on the opening weekend of the season when he was replaced at halftime against Ipswich Town.
Quansah's minutes since have led to the conclusion that Slot prefers Konate or Gomez alongside Virgil van Dijk.