Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Joel Matip is available for Liverpool again, but intimated that he wouldn’t be picking him on Saturday.
The Reds round off their pre-World Cup campaign with a visit of Southampton in the Premier League.
Matip has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players down the years – well, when fit anyway.
Problem is, the former Cameroon international has endured awful luck on the injury front and he’s been out since last month.
And although Klopp has confirmed that he’s fit again after doing 75 percent of a training session today, it’s still too early to use him.
He told Liverpool’s official website: “Joel trained, he trained with us, he was in three-fourths, pretty much the whole session but the last bit he didn’t do. But he is now obviously available as well – would be available but has only trained once with the team.”
It’s better for the Reds if Matip – who earns £100,000 per week – doesn’t start against the Saints, in all honesty.
Excellent as Matip is, Liverpool should probably be able to negotiate a visit of Southampton without him and, with his injury history, well it’s better to keep him in cotton wool for the second half of the campaign, after the World Cup.
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