Joel Matip might have played his last game for Liverpool as manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed the unfortunate ACL injury
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that Joel Matip has ruptured his ACL, potentially ending his tenure at the club. Matip is in his current contract’s final season and is likely to depart once it concludes.
Matip suffered an injury while playing against Fulham in the Red’s dramatic 4-3 Premier League victory at Anfield. The 32-year-old resurrected his form this season after his struggles last season that coincided with the club’s struggle.
Matip played a pivotal role in the Reds’ defence since signing as a free agent in the summer of 2016. The Cameroonian won the Premier League, FA CUP, EFL Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Super Cup at Liverpool.
The 32-year-old’s iconic partnership alongside current Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk left a lot of great memories for the Kopites. Matip’s style of play from the backline and ability to drive forward with the ball earned a lot of praise.
Klopp told the reporters (h/t Mirror) that the scan confirmed that Matip had suffered an unfortunate ACL injury. He said:
“Joel has had a scan and has ruptured an ACL which is what I expected. It is very unfortunate.”
Currently, Liverpool have Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah in their ranks to partner with Van Dijk. However, Konate and Gomez have an unreliable history of injuries, a serious concern for the rest of the season.
The Reds are currently competing for every trophy and need strong depth in defence in the face of congested fixtures. However, whether Liverpool will add a centre-back in the January window or not is a matter of speculation for now.
Liverpool centre back Joel Matip has ruptured his ACL, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 7, 2023
Huge blow for #LFC as Matip will be out until the end of the season — current deal expires in June 2024. pic.twitter.com/04mYWdtSS7
The former Cameroon international earned a cult fan following from the loyal Reds fanbase who adored their lanky defender. The news of the injury has left Liverpool staff, players, and fans devastated.
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The Kopites hope that Matip can play one more game before the season’s end to give him a warm farewell. However, the prospect looks very unlikely at the moment, rest assured, we wish him the very best for the future.
