Liverpool FC expects Joel Matip to be out of action for several months after the injury he suffered against Fulham.
The centre-back has featured in 14 of 21 matches this season, showing good form alongside Virgil van Dijk. He has been the first-choice centre-back alongside the captain for the past month, with Ibrahima Konate left on the bench.
When Jurgen Klopp held his press conference on Tuesday, he did not have Matip’s scan results, and the only thing he could say was that they did not look good.
Andy Hunter in The Guardian Reports a knee ligament injury – this is bad news.
Several months out
Liverpool expects the player to be absent for several months.
The club is still awaiting the final results of additional investigations. Ligament injuries can be very numerous, and there are several degrees of severity.
If it is an anterior cruciate ligament injury, it can take between one and three months, while the season could be over if it is an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, the same type of injury that Virgil van Dijk suffered in 2020.
Matip has been brilliant for Liverpool since joining the club as a Boseman in 2016, and was well-liked by players and fans both for his attitude and style as a player.
He played 201 matches for the club. Injuries have ruined a lot for him and this injury will be bad news for his hopes of signing a contract extension. He will be 33 years old when next season starts and is in the final year of his contract.
Phillips back in January?
With Matip out for an extended period, Liverpool will have Van Dijk, Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarel Quansah as options at centre-back in the coming months.
Nate Phillips is only initially on loan at Celtic until January, and clubs must then consider how to move forward. The 26-year-old has not received much game time under Brendan Rodgers this season, making just four appearances in the Scottish Premiership and four in the Champions League.
270 minutes of playing time was not what he was hoping for before this season and he has not been on the pitch since November 1, so it would be appropriate for him to return to Liverpool to consider options, whether as a substitute at Liverpool or a move to another club.
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