Ibrahima Konate has seen his hopes of becoming first-choice for France bolstered after Raphael Varane surprisingly announced his retirement from international football.
The Liverpool defender only made his senior debut for France last June, starting against Austria in the Nations League after being handed a late call-up after the Manchester United centre-back was forced to withdraw through injury.
To date, the 23-year-old has won seven international caps, winning five of them at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Les Bleus reached the final only to lose to Argentina. Konate started three times during the tournament, in place of the injured and ill Varane against Australia and Morocco, as well as in France's final group game against Tunisia, while he came on as a substitute against Denmark as well as against Argentina as his homeland lost on penalties in the final.
