Liverpool definitely need new centre-backs in January.
With Virgil van Dijk out for the season and Joe Gomez also sidelined for the foreseeable future, Joel Matip is the Reds’ only senior and recognised player in that position.
Well, he was.
The Cameroon international is reportedly injured again after a back injury forced him off midway through Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Fulham.
And according to The Times, the former Schalke powerhouse isn’t expected to be fit for Liverpool’s huge visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.
Spurs are top of the Premier League table and above Jurgen Klopp’s side on goal difference.
And without Matip, Van Dijk and Gomez, the North Londoners’ duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-min could wreak havoc on Merseyside.
Here’s how Liverpool fans are reacting on Twitter to the reported Matip blow.
The good news is that Klopp has Fabinho to call on as a centre-back, and the big Brazilian has excelled there this season.
But then there’s a Fabinho-less figure in Liverpool’s midfield, so it’s catch-22 for the German manager to some extent.
In any case, Klopp absolutely needs a couple of central defenders in January and although he has young options, he can’t hang the team’s title chances on them.
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