Virgil van Dijk has explained how he collided with Ibrahima Konate as the Liverpool defender was taken off with an injury against Brighton.
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Van Dijk collided with Konate in first halfInjury less serious than first fearedDutchman expects him to be okayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFPWHAT HAPPENED?
Late in the first half of Liverpool's comeback victory over Brighton, Van Dijk collided with Konate while both were attempting to play the ball, and the Frenchman came off worse. He was seen using his shirt as a sling for his arm as he plodded off at half-time and was replaced by Joe Gomez.
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At the time of injury, Liverpool were trailing to Brighton, courtesy of an early Ferdi Kadioglu strike, and were looking to hit back before the break after what was a sluggish first half showing. A late corner provided a potential goal scoring opportunity, and both Van Dijk and Konate went forward to provide aerial threats.
Both men attempted to head the ball, and Van Dijk, with his eyes closed, pre-emptively nodded goal-wards. However, instead of connecting with the ball, he made heavy contact with Konate's upper arm, leaving the French defender in clear discomfort as the whistle was blown for half-time.
WHAT VAN DIJK SAID
Speaking to , Van Dijk explained the situation: "There were so many bodies around the ball and I think I headed him on the arm. Hopefully it is not too bad, we'll just have to wait and see. You can be quite ok as a player with an arm injury so hopefully he will be fine."
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR VAN DIJK, KONATE AND LIVERPOOL?
With reports after the match stating the injury is less severe than it first appeared, it seems Konate will likely return a key run of Liverpool fixtures before the November international break. The Reds face former player Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen side in the Champions League on Tuesday, before hosting Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday, fixtures that Arne Slot would like Konate to be available for.
