Liverpool have been handed a significant injury boost with a scan revealing that defender Joel Matip has suffered no serious damage to his ankle.
The summer signing was forced to leave the pitch in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in a pre-season friendly, sparking fears that he had suffered a recurrence of a previous foot problem.
With Mamadou Sakho and Joe Gomez already sidelined, it would have been the last thing that Jurgen Klopp needed ahead of the new campaign, but fortunately for the Reds boss, Matip has avoided a significant setback.
According to The Liverpool Echo, scans showed that no serious damage had been picked up, with the centre-half suffering merely from bruising.
However, while that is certainly positive news in the sense that Matip won’t be forced onto the sidelines for a lengthy period of time, it remains to be seen whether or not he’s passed fit for Wednesday’s friendly against Huddersfield Town before the squad depart for the USA on Thursday.
As noted above, Klopp is being stretched with limited defensive options following the departures of Martin Skrtel and Kolo Toure this summer.
As noted by The Echo, Ragnar Klavan is said to be closing in on a move to Merseyside with a medical set for Tuesday, but ideally, Klopp will want Matip fit and ready to lead from the back at the start of the new Premier League campaign.
The 24-year-old made almost 200 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke, and will be expected to form an important part of Liverpool’s progress this season.