"Slot is a wicked man", "Not the biggest fan of this decision" - Liverpool fans react to star's inclusion in XI for Manchester United clash

Liverpool fans have taken to social media to react to Ibrahima Konate's inclusion in the starting XI to face Manchester United. The two sides are set to face off at Anfield on Sunday (January 5), with the hosts widely expected to continue their remarkable run of form against the Red Devils.

There was uncertainty regarding who Reds' head coach Arne Slot would select to partner Virgil van Dijk in defense. Joe Gomez suffered a hamstring injury in their last game, a 5-0 victory against West Ham on December 29. Although Jerome Quansah is available, Slot has chosen to prioritize experience, reintroducing Ibrahima Konate to the starting lineup.

Konate had been out of contention for the past month due to a knee injury. Despite not partaking in any of their recent matches, even as a substitute, Arne Slot has deemed the 25-year-old French centre-back fit to start against Manchester United.

This has taken Liverpool fans by surprise, as they took to social media platform X with comments like these:

"Konate is back 😭😂, slot is a wicked man," a fan commented.

"Huge risk starting Konate, not the biggest fan of this decision," another fan was concerned.

"Hope Konate is fully fit and we aren’t rushing him. Szobo ill otherwise think he would have started. Solid line up nonetheless," a third analyzed.

"Konate is backkkkk!!!!! We feasting today 😂😂😂," a fan was delighted.

"Quansah is shite tbh I don’t blame Slot for starting Konate," a fan agreed with the decision.

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot speaks about facing Manchester United

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot shared his thoughts on the clash against Manchester United. He has had a brilliant start to life on Merseyside after taking over the reins at Anfield from Jurgen Klopp during the summer.

Currently, the Reds sit at the top of the Premier League table, and can consolidate that position with a win over their arch-rivals. They currently sit five points ahead of second-placed Arsenal and could turn this into an eight-point gap.

Speaking ahead of the match, Arne Slot discussed facing the Red Devils, telling the reporters (via the club's official website):

"For me, I said it before the first fixture and I can say it one more time, they have much better players, in my opinion, than maybe the league table shows at the moment.

"It's maybe going to take a while for Ruben Amorim to bring this out of the players, I don't know, but they will definitely go up and they are much, much, much better than the league shows at the moment."

Manchester United currently sit in 14th place on the Premier League table. While a loss to Liverpool will not affect their position, it would be an alarming fifth loss in a row across all competitions.