Jurgen Klopp has found a positive in Joel Matip’s injury diagnosis, saying it is “great” that he will be available for pre-season training.
The 29-year-old added to Liverpool’s injury woes after the win at Tottenham last week, with ankle ligament damage ruling him out for the rest of the season.
It means Matip joins Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez on the sidelines until the summer, in what represents an incredibly unfortunate situation for the Reds.
Despite this negativity, Klopp told reporters [via the Metro] that the Cameroonian will be back during pre-season, and that this period could allow him to strengthen his body and alleviate future risk of injuries:
The only thing is that we have kind of a time frame and he will be back for pre-season and that’s great.
He will have enough time for all things to settle and time to work on the specific things that will make him stronger for the future.
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It is nice to hear Klopp looking to the future with Matip, suggesting the centre-back will be at Liverpool beyond this season.
The former Schalke man’s injury problems are a huge issue, however, and he is barely able to stay fit for more than a few games at a time.
The arrivals of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak will provide even more competition for places moving forward, so if Matip can’t stay fit, chances are he will eventually be disposed of.
When he is available, he is an excellent defender, but his inability the avoid injury is a real problem.
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