Two days before their Euro 2024 RO16 game against Belgium, Ibrahima Konaté (25) did not participate in team training with his France colleagues, according a report on Saturday from L’Equipe. On the margins of Paderborn’s Home Deluxe Arena, France’s training ground for the Euros, the Liverpool center-back had to negotiate riding a training cycle alone. With Didier Deschamps depending on a centre-back combo comprising Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano (25) and Arsenal’s William Saliba (23), Ibrahima Konaté is yet to run a single minute in Germany.
The publication knows that Ibrahima Konaté picked up a knock during the Friday training session. Le Parisien notes that a very rare sight for Didier Deschamps’ France but an appropriate one because Les Bleus bowed out of their previous two major events, the 2021 Euros and the 2022 World Cup, on penalties. Friday’s practice was ended by a specific penalty shoot-out exercice. L’Equipe is aware that Ibrahima Konaté is scheduled to resume full team training this Sunday. Monday, at 6pm CET, France will play Belgium at Düsseldorf with a quarter-final berth on line.