Report: 'Important' Liverpool player sent home from international squad after injury assessment

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Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate will play no part in France’s fixture against Iceland on Monday and will return home to Merseyside.Konate has been carrying an injury after being substituted during the Reds’ 2-1 loss against Chelsea last weekend.Despite the knock, Konate was included in Didier Deschamps’ squad to face Azerbaijan and Iceland.The 26-year-old was even named on the bench during Friday night’s win over Azerbaijan, but will now leave the camp and head back to Liverpool.Konate has been struggling for form in recent weeks, while he is yet to sign an extension to his contract which is due to expire at the end of the season.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesIbrahima Konate struggling with thigh problemAfter news emerged from the France camp that Konate was training alone ahead of Friday night’s game, alarm bells should have been sounding for Liverpool.With a fixture against Manchester United to come next Sunday, Arne Slot may have to turn to Joe Gomez.For the time being, however, there is no further confirmation that Konate will be unable to play.READ MORE: Liverpool handed fresh concern over Alexis Mac Allister as Argentina role changesAccording to French outlet L’Equipe, the No. 5 has been suffering with a thigh problem, and will travel back to Liverpool before his teammates head on to Iceland.However, the severity of the injury is not stated, with the only concrete information being that Konate will not play against Iceland for France.Liverpool can manage without Konate for nowGiven Liverpool’s lack of options at centre-back just now, this is obviously going to be a big concern for supporters.

As Virgil van Dijk has asserted, Konate is an ‘important’ player for Slot.Having said that, Konate has been in dreadful form, and a break from the starting XI has arguably been overdue.Any kind of longer-term issue is going to cause problems for Liverpool, with only Gomez and Van Dijk as natural, senior options.But if the Reds have to do without Konate for a week or two, with Gomez having to step in, that would not be the worst news in the world.Hopefully the former RB Leipzig man can use the time to get his head right, and focus on playing better when he returns.