Liverpool’s Joël Matip Injury Confirmed as Season-Ending Torn ACL
A torn ACL us likely to rule Matip out for the rest of the season and could mean the cult favourite has played his final minutes as a Red.
Our worst fears have come true. Liverpool FC defender Joël Matip’s injury suffered over the weekend has been confirmed to be a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
This likely means his season is over, and with his contract ending in the summer, this could also mean the end of his Liverpool career. The 32-year-old defender had been in good form lately and seemed to be playing his way into a contract extension beyond this summer before the unfortunate injury occurred.
“It’s an ACL, ruptured, so that’s what I unfortunately expected from the first second,” manager Jürgen Klopp said following Wednesday’s match. “Everything looked like that, but it’s very unfortunate.”
Of course, there’s always a chance the club offers Matip a sweetheart deal that’ll allow him to rehab his injury and stick around for another year, but there’s certainly never a guarantee when it comes to gestures like that in sport.
While there may be an emotional element, in the end the Reds have a practical decision to make. Matip has been a great servant to the club, but his being out of the rotation does put pressure on Konaté and Gomez, who are both prone to the occasional niggle.
Gomez, who is second choice at the right-back spot this season, has also been filling at left-back of late due to Andry Robertson’s shoulder injury. The emergence of Jarrel Quansah does help some with the depth at the position, but the club may now have to dip into the market to bring in a fifth choice defender in the winter transfer window.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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