Troy Deeney says Liverpool star looks scared and it’s affecting Virgil van Dijk

Add as preferred source on Google

Virgil van Dijk has appeared as the sole member of the Liverpool backline performing to an acceptable standard this season.

At this stage last year, the Reds had conceded only two goals in the Premier League; the 2-1 loss against Chelsea on Sunday means they have conceded nine goals in seven matches.

Jeremie Frimpong has struggled to adapt to life at Anfield since his £35 million move from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.

Whereas Milos Kerkez, who has started every league match thus far, is suffering with the same problem – Arne Slot substituted the Hungarian during the first half in the 1-0 win against Burnley.

However, another regular starter among the backline has proven to be a real cause of concern for the Reds, and his form is now starting to affect van Dijk.

Ibrahima Konate looks scared playing for Liverpool

When speaking on the Football Exchange podcast, ex-Premier League forward Troy Deeney believes under-fire centre-back Ibrahima Konate is lowering the performance levels of his teammates.

“Yeah, he looks like he can’t handle playing next to Van Dijk at the moment,” Deeney said.

“Like, where did that level of like expectation to go and do it again and deliver. It’s like he, yeah, it’s like he’s scared at this moment in time.”

Konate has struggled to perform for the Reds since the first whistle of the Premier League curtain raiser against Bournemouth at Anfield – he was culpable for both of Antoine Semenyo’s goals on the day.

Albeit the defender has, of course, not been the only Liverpool player to struggle this season, Konate produced one dominant display in the Merseyside derby and has been non-existent in every other game.

The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Anfield, and as the club continues to work towards reaching an agreement with his entourage, his performances are hardly inspiring confidence for the club to offer a new big-money deal.

Giovanni Leoni’s season-ending injury certainly complicates matters for Slot, as Joe Gomez remains the only natural centre-back outside of his preferred pairing who could replace Konate after the international break.

Considering Konate was bullied by Jean-Philippe Mateta against Crystal Palace, was caught lacking far too many times against Galatasaray, and was substituted for a midfielder at Stamford Bridge, his position in the starting line-up appears under threat.

Arne Slot must trust Joe Gomez against Manchester United

The last time Liverpool hosted Manchester United at Anfield, one player who was rumoured to leave the club at the end of his contract, Trent Alexander-Arnold, produced his worst-ever display in red.

While the Reds will be expected to return to winning ways against their arch-rivals, Konate should be nowhere near the starting line-up.

Slot’s decision to introduce Curtis Jones for Konate at Stamford Bridge and move Ryan Gravenberch into defence is a surefire sign of how little faith the boss has in Gomez.

Indeed, he was outperformed by Leoni in the Carabao Cup before the Italian’s injury, but Gomez is the club’s longest-standing player and knows exactly what it means to face United – the Reds cannot afford another Konate disaster class in this must-win clash.