Liverpool player survives a major injury scare
Jul 19, 2016 at 1:17 PM
Jurgen Klopp has been handed a timely boost as latest scan cleared new signing Joel Matip of any serious ankle injury.
Matip, who joined Liverpool on a free transfer from German club Schalke earlier this month, limped off in the latter stages of a 2-0 pre-season friendly win against Wigan last Sunday.
From the very start of the match he looked composed throughout but the Cameroon defender had to be substituted in the 88th minute after complaining about an ankle problem.
Initially, it was feared that the injury might be a serious ankle ligament issue; a problem that could have possibly keep the 24-year-old sidelined for minimum six months.
However, a scan on the injured ankle today confirmed that Matip’s hit simply a bruising, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Serious ligament injuries have blighted Jurgen Klopp’s time at Anfield; both Danny Ings and youngster Joe Gomez ruled out for long periods during last season.
After the win over Wigan, the German manager even informed fans that Matip has suffered from similar problems in the past.
“I hope it’s only a minor problem,” Klopp said. “He said he’s had it one or two times already.
“Joel gets better and better and better, you can see it. It’s not too serious, hopefully.
“It’s the foot he had problems with in the past and then he had a little bit of pain when pre-season started because of the intensity. He’s used to it.”
Liverpool has beaten Tranmere, Fleetwood Town and most recently Wigan as they step up their preparations for the season ahead. Those victories have seen a number of academy products given a chance and a handful makes an impression.