'He could be the future' - Michael Owen tips Liverpool star to emulate world-class teammate

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen said he is looking forward to seeing how Ibrahima Konate develops, adding that he thinks the center-back has the potential to reach the same level as current defensive partner Virgil van Dijk.

Konate produced a mixed performance as Liverpool beat Wolves at Molineux on Saturday to move to the top of the Premier League, netting a first-half header to open the scoring but also hesitating in his own box and allowing Wolves to steal possession and score an equaliser after the break.

Owen told Premier League Productions: "Konate is already well established as a top center-half, a brilliant center-half, he's got everything, and I think he could be the future. Van Dijk is in the peak of his powers at the moment. Konate's got a bit to learn and is a bit younger as well so Iook forward to seeing him improve and maybe even get to Virgil's standard one day."

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Addressing the two key incidents in the game that involved Konate - Liverpool's first goal and Wolves' equaliser - Owen added: "He's very dangerous in this situation, the size, the athleticism, the leap, the power in the header, it's a brilliant assist from Jota, this turn of pace, he bursts past his man, and what about that for a ball? So inviting. But you've got to have all those attributes to attack the ball and head it down as well. It was a really good goal and just at the right time for Liverpool.

"[The goal Liverpool conceded was] a catalogue of errors. You could say Alisson [is to blame], you could say Konate [is to blame]. Konate is waiting for Alisson to come but he doesn't want to come that far out of his goal and you can understand that. Also, it's a natural reaction from Trent Alexander-Arnold to go onto the line whereas if he just stands where he was, he clears it. Ait-Nouri goes into the space where Trent could have been. A catalogue of errors, and indecision between goalkeeper and center-half probably."

Another former England international, Owen Hargreaves, was on punditry duty for the match and placed the blame at Konate's feet, saying that he should have got rid of the ball.

"You can shield the ball when you're like a yard away from the goal-line," Hargreaves said. "You can't shield it when you're six yards away. To be fair, the Wolves striker just threw him out of the way and then he (Ait-Nouri) had a tap-in, so he (Konate) just kind of miscalculated in terms of where he was on the pitch when trying to see the ball out.

"It happens. The game is so quick, and sometimes you just make a wrong decision. When Konate looks at it back, he'll realise, 'I can't shield that'. Just kick it out, just kick it up the line with your left foot. But now because everyone is trying to play out from the back, you don't want to kick it out, or kick it out for a corner, but he just made the wrong decision in a crucial moment."