**Injury Woes: Konate Sent Home from International Duty** Ibrahima Konate has been sent home from international duty due to ongoing injury concerns. The Liverpool defender, who remained on the bench during the match against Azerbaijan, will not travel with the French national team to Iceland. Konate arrived at Clairefontaine with an injury and has been unable to recover in time to participate in World Cup qualifying matches. He was forced off the pitch during Liverpool's recent Premier League clash against Chelsea, raising concerns about his fitness. Didier Deschamps' squad is set to fly to Reykjavik on Saturday evening ahead of their match against Iceland on Monday. The decision to exclude Konate from the trip was made to allow him to continue his recovery. The former RB Leipzig player has been undergoing an individual treatment programme for a thigh injury. The question now looms over whether he will be fit for Liverpool's upcoming match against Manchester United next weekend. During the defeat to Chelsea, Konate left the field early in the second half, prompting manager Arne Slot to adjust his defensive line. Curtis Jones replaced the 26-year-old, with Ryan Gravenberch moving to partner Virgil van Dijk in defence. Slot expressed his concerns regarding Konate's injury, stating, "I don’t know if it is a big injury, but what I do know is he limped a little bit and when I asked him he said he felt his quad a little bit. Then, for me, all alarm bells go off because in another sprint you never know if that is going to go good." He added, "It was also already a substitution I had in mind, maybe for a few minutes or a little bit later, because the right centre-back had a lot of ball possession and we needed to create from that position. We all know Ryan [Gravenberch] is quite good in that. It might be OK that he went off early enough but it was clear I had to take him off because he was limping." Although Konate was initially deemed fit to join the national side, it appears he is still struggling with the same issue. Joe Gomez could potentially step in, but he was not selected from the bench against Chelsea after returning from his own injury. Liverpool has already faced significant injury setbacks this season, with Giovanni Leoni ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after suffering an ACL tear on his full debut. The Italian youngster had impressed in the Carabao Cup but his performance was overshadowed by the serious injury. As Liverpool prepares for a crucial period, the fitness of their defenders remains a pressing concern.