After another win, this time over Sheffield United, Liverpool have cemented their second place in the Premier League table behind Arsenal, however, the win was overshadowed by the news that Joel Matip had torn his ACL.
Matip looked in incredible pain when he was substituted in the 69th minute of the epic 4-3 win over Fulham and, according to official club website, Jurgen Klopp confirmed the injury after the win at Bramall Lane.
What that means is the 32-year-old will be out until the end of the season – when his contract with the Reds ends – and, given his age, the injury might well bring the curtain down on his career much earlier than expected.
Club captain, Virgil van Dijk, spoke of being ‘devastated’ to the official club website, and that’s surely shared by everyone throughout the club.
Matip has been a rock alongside the Dutchman and his enforced absence means that Klopp is going to have to switch things around a little in order to ensure that the Reds can still play their brilliant brand of football.
As so often happens in the game, a serious injury to a colleague is enough motivation for a team to do their best, as a sort of tribute to their fallen comrade.
If Liverpool can go on and take the title in Matip’s absence, he’ll deserve it just as much as his colleagues.