Liverpool centre back Joel Matip is training away from the main crop of the Reds squad ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Arsenal, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster claims that the 6ft 5in Cameroon international [Source: Transfermarkt] was involved in Liverpool’s training session on Monday.
However, that was in a limited capacity, as he continues to try and recover from the knee injury that has kept him out of games against Leicester City, Red Bull Salzburg, Genk and Tottenham Hotspur recently.
Meanwhile, Reds attacker Mohamed Salah also took part in training on Monday, despite being substituted towards the end of Sunday’s win over Spurs with a knock.
OPINION
Matip’s recent injury has been a real blow for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, although that hasn’t been borne out by the team’s results. The German has called on Croatian international Dejan Lovren to replace the former Schalke man and, while he’s generally solid enough, he is capable of clangers at any moment. Matip, on the other hand, is as solid as it gets, and has formed a Premier League-best partnership with Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds defence. He’s just so reliable, and that’s a quality that all managers love. So the fact that he is continuing to train away from the rest of the Liverpool squad is not good news at all. However, it’s unlikely that he was going to play against the Gunners in any case, with Lovren and Joe Gomez surely set to start at Anfield. We just have to hope, then, that the Cameroonian is back fit for the games against Aston Villa, Genk and, particularly, Manchester City that are coming up for Liverpool.
