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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk lavished praise on defensive partner Ibrahima Konate while highlighting the demands in order to become one of the best in the world.
Konate might enjoy a run of games in Jurgen Klopp's XI owing to Joel Matip's ACL rupture, which is expected to keep him out of action for the rest of the season. The France international partnered his skipper in defense for the 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Saturday (December 23).
He managed to keep Gabriel Jesus quiet while shutting down Gabriel Martinelli a few times down Arsenal's left-hand side. Konate made five tackles, winning both his aerial duels and five of his nine ground duels.
Speaking ahead of the Merseysider's trip to Burnley on Tuesday (December 26), van Dijk said (via Liverpool Echo):
"He’s an outstanding defender. He has everything that a modern-day footballer needs to be at the absolute top of centre-backs. There’s a lot of demands from us."
Laying down the requirements for the man with whom he's shared the pitch 50 times to become a world-class defender, van Dijk added:
"We play with the ball, keep a high line, you need the pace and deal lots of space to defend in behind. He needs pace and heading as well. He’s doing it well.
"It’s about getting used to playing every three days, looking after your body, managing games and training sessions, and when to do certain things."
Konate joined Anfield from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 for a reported fee of €40 million. Since then, he's made 72 appearances for Liverpool across all competitions, bagging three goals and two assists.
This season, the 24-year-old has made 13 league appearances and will be expected to start the Reds' boxing day fixture.
Virgil van Dijk backs Liverpool teammate to fill in at unfamiliar position
Virgil van Dijk has backed Liverpool teammate Joe Gomez to fill in at left-back in the absence of Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas. The Reds' first-choice in the position, Robertson, last featured in his side's 2-2 draw against Brighton on October 8.
Since then, the Scotland international has been sidelined with a shoulder injury. Meanwhile, Tsimikas was forced off in his club's last Premier League match against Arsenal after sustaining a broken collarbone.
In the absence of these left-sided full-backs, van Dijk trusts Gomez to perform the role. He said (via Liverpool Echo):
"He (Gomez) has been doing it already for us. He’s doing it very well. I have full confidence in Joey and his quality."
Gomez has already featured at left-back four times for Liverpool in the Premier League this season and is likely to start there against Burnley. He hasn't scored for the Reds in 196 appearances following a reported €4.9 million move from Charlton in 2015.
