On Wednesday, Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp confirmed that key defender Joel Matip is set to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).
Matip has been sidelined since December 3 after injuring his knee during Liverpool’s dramatic 4-3 win against Fulham and is now reportedly out for seven to eight months.
Klopp and his troops got the news of the Cameroon international’s injury after a two-goal win over Sheffield United on Wednesday night.
“It’s an ACL, ruptured, so that’s what I unfortunately expected from the first second. Everything looked like that. Very unfortunate,” Klopp told reporters after the game.
Matip will undergo surgery in the coming days which means the defender has potentially played his last game for The Reds as his current deal ends in June 2024.
Liverpool are currently ranked second in the Premier League points table and they are also competing for the Europa League. With one of their key defenders out for the rest of the season, the Reds may start to search for a potential replacement in the upcoming January window.
Klopp is having a tough time dealing with injuries. He is already without some key players, namely, Andy Robertson, Thiago Alcantara, Alisson, Stefan Bajcetic and Diogo Jota.
Meanwhile, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister joined the growing injury list after the Argentinian had to leave the field as he required stitches on his knee after being involved in a nasty tackle.
“Macca, it was a shame. Early, he stepped on his knee, there was a cut. As long as the wound was open, we just strapped it, obviously it was painful but he could play.
“Then we stitched it but then obviously it got a bit tighter there and then he couldn’t move anymore. Now we have to see how long that will take. I hope not too long.”
Liverpool play Crystal Palace next in just two days on Saturday at Selhurst Park Stadium and things have gotten bad for Klopp, who is aiming for his second title with the Reds.