Liverpool Dealt Major Injury Blow: Key Man Set To Miss 9 Games

Liverpool have been dealt a major blow as Joel Matip is facing a month out that will see him miss nine games during the hectic festive period, according to the Daily Mail.

Matip has been carrying a thigh injury in recent weeks and was forced to miss the recent win over Southampton at Anfield after feeling the problem in training ahead of the match.

The Cameroon international looked to have made a swift recovery as he returned to start during Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium on Wednesday night.

However, the centre-back aggravated the injury with Jurgen Klopp confirming at his pre-match press conference on Friday that the player had complained of pain in his thigh after the match.

It seems Matip is now facing a spell on the sidelines as the Daily Mail are one of several media outlets reporting that after being assessed by club doctors at Melwood the defender has been ruled out for a month.

It means he’ll miss the busy Christmas and New Year period that will see Liverpool play 9 games in the space of just 30 days, starting with a trip to Brighton this afternoon.

If he’s out for the full month, then Matip will then miss the subsequent games with Spartak Moscow, Everton, West Brom, Bournemouth, Arsenal, Swansea, Leicester and Burnley.

The news will come as a huge blow to Klopp as it leaves him short of options in the middle of defence during a hectic time when he’d ideally want to rotate his players in order to keep them fresh.

Ragnar Klavan is expected to return from illness to replace Matip this afternoon but with Dejan Lovren the only other senior centre-back, Klopp may be forced to deploy Joe Gomez in the middle of defence over the coming weeks.