Liverpool’s center-back, Joel Matip, is set to miss the remainder of the season after he suffered a foot injury during the second half of the goalless draw in the Merseyside derby back on June 21.
Liverpool still has seven games before the season ends although they have been crowned the Premier League Champions.
“This season I will be not back on the pitch but for next season, I hope I’m going to be quite early a direct help for the team,” Matip told the club’s official website.
It leaves Klopp with just three senior centre-backs for the remainder of the campaign with Dejan Lovren providing back-up to the first-choice pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
After playing a big role in last season’s Champions League success alongside Van Dijk during the second half of the campaign, Matip has been restricted to just nine Premier League appearances this term.
His run-out in the 236th derby earlier this month was his first start in the Premier League since a 1-1 draw with Manchester Untied back in October, with a knee injury keeping him out for three months.
Despite the Reds’ success, it’s been a frustrating campaign for Matip from a personal perspective with injuries limiting his ability to put pressure on Gomez and Van Dijk as Klopp’s central defensive duo.
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