Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate in doubt for Premier League clash with Manchester City

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is a fitness worry ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City after an suffering muscle injury,

The France international defender has only recently returned from a long injury layoff, but has suffered a new injury, according to multiple reports.

The Liverpool Echo report that Konate is not yet ruled out of tomorrow’s match at Anfield, and that manager Jurgen Klopp will wait until the last possible moment to allow Konate to prove his fitness.

Konate did not in fact miss training, and was not actually scheduled to train on Friday as part of his ongoing recovery from the previous injury.

If Konate is ruled out, he would join a host of key Liverpool players to miss Sunday’s clash. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip and Calvin Ramsay are all already ruled out, while Andy Robertson has also dealt with a lingering injury this season.

Konate was withdrawn with 10 minutes to play in Liverpool’s mid-week Champions League hammering of Rangers, just his second appearance of the current campaign.

Liverpool’s options alongside defensive mainstay Virgil van Dijk include veteran James Milner, the versatile Fabinho, Joe Gomez or Nat Phillips.

Regardless of who is selected, Liverpool’s defence will face a stern test in the form of Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s extraordinary striker. Haaland is the Premier League’s leading goal scorer, with 15 goals in nine appearances.

Liverpool have already faced Haaland once this season, in the Charity Shield. Klopp’s side kept Haaland scoreless, something most teams have found impossible this season, but they had Matip and Alexander-Arnold available at Wembley.

Konate has something of a rough injury history. His knee injury this season cost him 10 games, and he has missed over 50 matches through injury in his young career so far.