As we are entering the business ends of both Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024, there are still several Liverpool players abroad with their national teams competing for international glory.
Well, at least there are some in that area. The likes of Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez and Ryan Gravenberch have not played a single minute during the European Championships in what has been a disappointing development.
It's the former that might be the most surprising as Konate was seemingly gaining some momentum prior to the tournament that he would be challenging for starts.
That has not been the case at all as William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano have been the preferred pair for France.
Konate blames lack of game time with Liverpool hurt his chances
It was no secret that down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, Jarell Quansah became the favored option in defense alongside Virgil van Dijk.
Ibou seemingly lost all of his confidence, particularly when on the ball, and he lost his place as a result while the Reds tried to stay in the title race. Quansah was simply the better player over the final two months of the season.
He spoke to reporters before their Round of 16 win over Belgium about why he thought he was being overlooked.
""I knew what my place was before the first match. It's frustrating but I know my role on and off the field. A 100% 'Ibou' would never have sat on the bench. I didn't play for a month and a half.""Ibrahima Konate to reporters
It's hard to fully gauge if he is blaming the club or himself for missing out for Liverpool at the apex of the season. In the end, it was his own doing as his erratic play did not warrant a weekly starting spot.
Ibou faces lots of competition with France and Liverpool
As we look at the France setup, it's hard to argue with either Saliba or Upamecano getting the bulk of the chances. They are world class players.
Back home at Anfield, van Dijk is still one of the best in the world and Quansah is on a very strong upward trajectory. This is not to say that Konate is no longer a good player, he clearly is and still has some time on his side to change the narrative
He cannot point the finger around him, he must rise to the challenge of the skill and form of the players he is competing with.
If he can do that, there will be plenty more opportunities to start in a elite French side going forward.