'At the minute' - Why Harry Redknapp is right about what Liverpool star did at Arsenal

Liverpool have been brilliant this season and there have been many individual performers who have impressed, with the latest to earn his moment in the spotlight being Ibrahim Konate.

The French defender has shown some brilliant displays since arriving at the club in 2021, forming an intimidating partnership with Virgil van Dijk. He's proven his worth time and time again and is also picked regularly for France which is no mean feat given the quality they possess at the heart of defence, and many fans will look back to his faultless performance in the 2022 Champions League final as a clear indication of his quality.

Essentially, when he's on song, he is one of the best defenders around and that was evident during Liverpool's 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup over the weekend. In Van Dijk's absence, he proved he can step up and he helped guide a young (but also hugely talented) Jarell Quansah through that game at the Emirates Stadium brilliantly and showing he could be someone to take over the reins of the current Liverpool captain one day.

Speaking to BetVictor, Redknapp heaped the praise on to the defender for his showing against Arsenal and made a bold claim about his current standing among defenders. "Ibrahima Konate was absolutely superb at the Emirates. This boy has been playing so well of late for Liverpool, you just can’t seem to go past him! He’s usually got Virgil Van Dijk alongside him, but he led his side so well in his absence. There’s not many better than this lad in world football at the minute."

The 24-year-old was in fine form in their latest victory, blocking two shots, managing two clearances, two interceptions and one tackle - he also won all of his ground duels and while the stats tell one story, his performance was brilliant on the eye. Tougher tests will come given Mikel Arteta's attack is massively out of form, and Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz were part of a second-string attack on the day, but his presence and confidence was the most impressive part of his performance.

For Konate, the task now is to ensure he can remain fit and firing. With Joel Matip out for the remainder of the season, Konate is needed more than ever for those big games that will come across multiple competitions in the future. His injury record has been mixed and sometimes frustrating for fans, having missed four games this season through injury as well as 15 last season with muscle and knee injuries.