Manchester United may have been handed a potential boost ahead of their Premier League clash with rivals Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday.
This follows the withdrawal of Reds centre-back Ibrahima Konate from the France squad ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Iceland on Monday.
He was also not involved in the 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan, despite being named in the matchday squad.
According to French outlet L’Equipe, Konate is now set to return to Liverpool, raising questions about his fitness ahead of the clash with United.
Manager Arne Slot revealed after the defeat at Chelsea that the centre-back ‘felt his quad a little bit’ and it now appears that he is yet to fully recover.
If Konate does not recover in time, Joe Gomez and captain Virgil van Dijk could be Liverpool’s only fit senior centre-backs for the visit of United.
The Reds certainly will already be without goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defender Giovanni Leoni for the Man United game.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the fitness of midfielder Wataru Endo, who withdrew from the Japan squad due to an unspecified injury.
The defending champions lost their last three games before the international break, and their growing injury list could affect their preparation for the United game.
For the Mancunian giants, only long-term absentee Lisandro Martinez is sure to miss the trip to Anfield.
Young defender Ayden Heaven picked up an injury on international duty with England U20, but head coach Ben Futcher has allayed fears about his fitness.
Man United beat Sunderland 2-0 at Old Trafford in their last fixture, raising optimism that they could get a result at Liverpool, where they have not won since 2016.
