There are very few footballers in the world who can stand next to Virgil van Dijk.
Not only is the Liverpool centre back one of the very best defenders in the game, but he is also an absolute colossus of a footballer who is amongst one of the most physically dominant players in the world.
Hard as it is to find someone who can rival either van Dijk’s brilliant ability or his impressive stature, he seemed to have found his match in his new centre-back partner at the club.
Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konaté from RB Leipzig for an estimated fee of £36m this summer.
The French defender has been brought in to play alongside the former PFA Player of the Year in Van Dijk, and not only will he strengthen the Merseyside outfit’s backline in terms of ability, but he seems to be as much of a physical specimen as van Dijk is – if not marginally more.
While Van Dijk measures at 1.93 metres tall, Konaté edges past him by standing at a mammoth 1.94 metres.
The two colossuses of Liverpool’s backline in the upcoming season stumbled upon each other in their pre-season training in Salzburg, Austria. And it was quite some sight to see, as footage of the training sessions emerged where van Dijk is seen to “size up” his new defensive partner.
While van Dijk and Konaté seem to stand head and shoulders above the rest of Jurgen Klopp’s contingent, it was the former who nudged the latter with a body check – in a half friendly, half competitive manner.
The Dutch defender almost looked like he wanted to check his new partner’s stature for himself, and he was definitely impressed when Konaté barely even flinched. Liverpool fans will hope to see both of them in dominant form when the new season kicks off in August.
— 9 (@F9Txrres) July 16, 2021