KONATE OUT TO END HIS CUP FINAL HEARTBREAK

ON this date a year ago, Ibrahima Konate was suffering the biggest disappointment of his fledgling career.

The defender (above) was stuck on the bench for RB Leipzig in the German Cup final, an unused substitute who could do nothing about a 4-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund.

Twelve months later, and it is another national cup final, but the narrative is very different. The young Frenchman is almost certain to start for Liverpool in the oldest cup competition of them all, having already played at Wembley and scored in the semi-final against Manchester City.

“Never, at any moment in my life, could I have imagined this. I knew I was joining a very big club, a club that has set out to win titles and trophies,” he said.

“But this season has been exceptional, a historic one for the club and it’s hard to put into words. It’s super-exciting to be a part of. Of course I am very excited… it’s a huge event!”

Konate has lost two cup finals so far with RB Leipzig. In his second season at the German club, he met Bayern Munich and Robert Lewandowski (and current team-mate Thiago) in the final, and lost 3-0 to the German champions.

Yet Liverpool’s performance against City in the semi at Wembley shows a repeat is not inevitable, especially since they unveiled a secret weapon at Wembley – Konate’s heading ability.

His goal was Konate’s third in 10 days, after failing to score in his first 19 games for the Reds. And another would be welcome against Chelsea.

“One goal might be enough, whether it’s me who scores it or somebody else, it doesn’t bother me either way,” he said.

“The most important thing is to go and win, then come back to Liverpool and celebrate a great victory. The thing now is to continue putting in good performances and hopefully get the wins.

“Of course I’m very happy to be playing in these big matches which are coming up so frequently. The coach has placed a lot of trust in me and I’m very happy about that.”

Someone else who has placed great trust in the 22-year-old centre-back is his defensive partner, Virgil van Dijk (the pair, above).

Konate admits to learning a lot from the Dutchman’s instruction, but also gaining a lot from the belief the worldclass centre-half puts in him.

“Virgil gives me some advice for big games, but he also has this quality where we have this great relationship, and he allows me to decide in each match, to make decisions,” he added.

“He lets me play to my own qualities, – a very good aspect of his leadership.”