Southampton boss Hasenhuttl happy seeing protégé Konate with Liverpool | OneFootball

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl isn't surprised seeing Ibrahima Konate now with Liverpool.

Konate joined RB Leipzig as an 18-year-old while the Saints boss was manager, where he was paired up alongside fellow teenager Dayot Upamecano in defence.

Facing tough competition at Liverpool, Konate has made just three league starts since his £36m move from Leipzig this summer, but Hasenhuttl labelled the Frenchman a “fantastic player".

“He had an unbelievably good body. He was super quick. I remember him having a few runs with Timo Werner, who was super quick," he said.

“I played with an 18-year-old (Konate) and a 19-year-old (Upamecano) in the Champions League at the time. It was something absolutely new, I'll say.

“The good thing is that when you give young players that early a chance to develop on the highest level, they learn very, very quick. It leads to a big player sometimes.

“I must say he's a fantastic guy, always positive. On the pitch, super impressive against the ball with the normal problems of a young player that he had sometimes. Problems with some positioning sometimes.

“But with the ball he was very, very calm in possession and he was a fantastic player. It was an interesting time when we were playing together."