Konate’s Real Madrid pathway opens up as defensive fitness concerns grow

Ibrahima Konate has been handed a major opportunity to establish himself in Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid starting XI after joining the club at a time when defensive injuries have left the team with only three fit first-team defenders.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Konate began training with Real Madrid on Monday in an especially favourable position. Eder Militao and Asencio are injured, while there are also fitness doubts over Dean Huijsen, creating a clear route into the starting line-up for the new arrival when the La Liga season begins.

Antonio Rudiger is strongly trusted by the club and is expected to have a good chance of starting because of his experience and the improved condition of his knee. That would leave the remaining defensive place to be contested by Huijsen and Konate.

Huijsen, the former Bournemouth defender, made his first pre-season appearance in an official friendly against Ferencvaros on Monday. He came on in the second half after missing the match against Fiorentina because of muscular fatigue.

The Spain international was involved in a goal where his positioning appeared inaccurate, although he also demonstrated the composure and control in possession that marked the beginning of his first season.

Konate, meanwhile, arrives after an outstanding individual campaign with Liverpool. He played in 36 of their 38 Premier League matches last season, a level of availability that was particularly attractive to Real Madrid after a campaign in which the defence at the Santiago Bernabeu was heavily affected by physical problems.

The France international had a difficult World Cup, featuring only in less important matches against the end of the tournament – the final group game and the third-place play-off – after failing to secure a regular place in Didier Deschamps’ side. His move to Madrid now gives him the chance to rebuild his standing at club level.

Real Madrid had been in urgent need of defensive reinforcements and found an opportunity in the transfer market by signing Konate. The deal followed a strategy frequently used by the club’s management in the Spanish capital, involving contact with players whose contracts are approaching their final months and attempts to persuade them not to renew.

Konate joined with the aim of becoming the mainstay of Real Madrid’s defence. His recent record also supports that ambition: despite suffering physical problems earlier in his career, he played 51 matches last season, following totals of 41 and 37 appearances in the two campaigns before that.

His fitness could prove decisive in the competition with Huijsen, whose own physical uncertainty gives Konate a slight advantage if he can quickly regain his competitive rhythm.

Availability was a major issue for Real Madrid last season, when the squad suffered 54 injuries, with a significant proportion affecting the defence. Ferland Mendy, the player hit hardest, made only nine appearances, while Rudiger missed the first nine league matches as he recovered from a knee injury.

Militao was fit enough to begin the campaign but played only four matches after the 16th round. Huijsen and Asencio were the most-used defenders, making 40 and 34 appearances respectively, although both also suffered minor injuries.

Real Madrid will hope Konate can help halt that sequence of setbacks. The club has secured a 27-year-old defender from one of the world’s leading clubs on a free transfer after his contract expired, with the expectation that he can lead the defence and help the team return to winning major honours.

His first training session came immediately after his arrival, and the injuries around him have left the door to Mourinho’s starting line-up almost open.