Liverpool defender Joel Matip will miss the remainder of Liverpool’s season.
The defender tore his ACL during a 4-3 victory against Fulham on December 3, and he has been out of action for the last four months.
Matip has been rehabilitating since he needed surgery. It seems improbable that the 32-year-old will feature in Liverpool’s Premier League title run-in, but he is back jogging on the grass at the AXA Training Centre.
Liverpool manager has bad news for his defender
According to his manager, he is currently making great progress towards becoming fully fit.
Before Thursday night’s match between the Reds and Sheffield United at Anfield, manager Klopp stated, as quoted by the official Liverpool website:
“Joel [is] running – he hates that! But he is able to run again, so that’s good,” the manager stated.
“I think since he got injured this is the best moment because it was very painful in the beginning, very painful for him [but] he got through that and now he is pain-free. But, that now all takes time so I don’t think the season is long enough for him.”
Matip’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season, so it’s probable that he’s played his last game for the Reds.
If that turns out to be the case, he will have made 201 appearances and won six major trophies by the time his Anfield career ends.
Andy Robertson, meanwhile, is expected to be available against Sheffield United.
The left-back was sidelined for Liverpool’s 2-1 victory against Brighton due to an ankle injury sustained during last week’s 1-0 loss against Northern Ireland for Scotland.
Klopp provided some positive update for Liverpool players
During his pre-Sheffield United press conference, Klopp provided an otherwise encouraging report on injuries elsewhere, noting that Curtis Jones was back and that Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota were getting closer to returning.
After wins for Manchester City and Arsenal on Wednesday, Liverpool cannot slip up against Sheffield United in their match on Thursday.