[cn-social-icon]
James Milner makes Ibrahima Konate prediction after Liverpool debut
James Milner holds that Ibrahima Konate will be a “seriously good player” for Liverpool.
The £36million defender made his debut for the Reds on Saturday as he kept a clean sheet alongside Virgil van Dijk in the 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
With in-form Joel Matip favored so far in the Premier League and Joe Gomez making his long-awaited comeback in Wednesday night’s 3-2 victory against AC Milan in the Champions League, Konate has been made to wait for his chance.
The France Under-21 international has settled in well at Anfield, Milner says, following his summer switch from RB Leipzig and the versatile veteran has tipped his younger team-mate to grow into a top-class operator for Liverpool.
“He’s very strong, as you can see. He’s quick, good on the ball. I’m really impressed with him.
“It’s not easy when you don’t get into the team straight away. He would have been itching to get out there and play at Anfield.
“It was a very hard job for him at Anfield with me beside him! But on the plus side, Virg was on the other. He’s a top class player, he’s going to be a seriously good player for this team.
ALSO READ:
- ‘Alexander-Arnold wanted to avoid facing Wilfried Zaha’- James Milner pokes fun at teammate’s absence
- Liverpool star Fabinho reveals why Jurgen Klopp’s men are not among Premier League title favorites
- ‘Interesting’: Peter Schmeichel reveals what he noticed about Klopp on the Liverpool touchlineÂ
- ‘Machine’: Ian Wright says Liverpool have an absolutely ‘extraordinary’ player in their ranks
- Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool have a player that people tend to ignore how good he is
“Watching a few games on the sidelines hasn’t done him any harm, he can see the intensity and get a feel for the crowd.”
Milner was asked to deputize at right-back against Palace after Trent Alexander-Arnold complained of illness on Saturday morning.
The 35-year-old kept the explosive Wilfried Zaha quiet for most of the game at Anfield and Milner holds the squad have plenty of strength in depth.
Milner outlined his view that the current crop are more experienced than the one that lifted the Premier League title in July 2020.
He added: “I think that is the mentality you need. You can’t dwell, whether you have a good performance or a bad performance. You need to move on to the next one.
“You can’t be too happy after a good one, you can’t be too down after a bad one.
“When things are going well, it’s easy to be like that: next game, next game, next game.
“If you have a couple of bad results and iffy performances, that is when it gets harder.
“But you look at this squad and it is more experienced than when we won the title. We have had more success.
“We had the pain of last year but it ended up being a really good year, with what we managed to achieve in the circumstances and coming with that late run.
“That was a nice way to finish the season. But those experiences and feelings, as a group, we have been through them all together and that can only be a good thing.”
ALSO READ:
- Jamie Carragher DESTROYS Gary Neville after a careless Liverpool tweet following dramatic come-back against Ac Milan
- Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott mocks Man Utd fan’s tasteless comment after injury vs Leeds United
- ‘No doubt about it’ – Klopp makes Champions League claim about Liverpool’s ‘proper Champions League group’.
- Joleon Lescott delivers a two-word reply when asked if Liverpool can win the Champions League
- Liverpool have a new secret weapon no other Premier League side can match
[cn-social-icon]
