Ibrahima Konate hints he blames Jurgen Klopp as he struggles to contain frustration

Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate has seemingly taken a subtle dig at former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp over a lack of playing time towards the end of the season, which has resulted in him losing his place with France at Euro 2024 .

Konate had been Klopp's main preference in defense to start alongside Virgil van Dijk for most of last season. However, in the second half of the campaign, Jarell Quansah began to get more opportunities.

Konate didn't make it off the bench in any of Liverpool's final four games, and was dropped seven times from Liverpool's last 10 league outings.

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His lack of action towards the end of the campaign has resulted in the 25-year-old falling out of favor for France in Germany. Thus far, Konate hasn't seen a single minute of action and appeared to vent some anger at not playing in the competition.

Speaking to reporters in Germany ahead of France's round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday, Konate said: "I came with a lot of expectations, that's part of football.

"I knew what my place was before the first match. It's frustrating but I know my role on and off the field. A 100% 'Ibou' would never have sat on the bench.

"I didn't play for a month and a half. But I prepared, and I almost passed out more than once. The preparation was very short. It's part of football. It was a good lesson for me."

French coach Didier Deschamps has opted to go with the pairing of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano in the heart of the defense, with the duo starting all three of France's game so far at the competition. Konate has earned 16 caps for France, with his last start for Les Bleus coming in the 3-0 win against Luxembourg in a friendly in May.

Liverpool.com says: Konate's frustration with how things have gone for him at Liverpool in the last few months is clear. He lost his place in the side to Quansah and never got it back towards the end of the campaign. The point could also be argued that we never really got to see the best of Konate last season, but things may change for him now that Klopp has gone and Arne Slot has arrived. Only time will tell.