Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after hearing that Joel Matip has turned down an invitation to resume his Cameroon career.
What’s the story?
Well, the 30-year-old decided to end his international career back in 2016, due to management problems and bad experiences with the coaching staff.
Matip has now been invited to return to the international scene by Toni Conceicao, manager of the Cameroon national team.
However, the Liverpool No.32 has no intention of adding to his 27 caps for Cameroon by the sounds of it.
As quoted by the BBC, Conceicao said: “The situation of Matip is not new. Matip does not want to return to the national team, that is the issue.”
That must be a real punch in the gut for Conceicao. Matip is one of the best centre-backs around, and would start for nearly any international side.
Nevertheless, Cameroon’s loss is Liverpool’s gain.
Liverpool must be delighted with Joel Matip
Simply put, Jürgen Klopp must be overjoyed to hear of Matip’s decision.
The £100,000-a-week man already struggles with injuries, even without the added workload of international football.
As Transfermarkt shows, Matip missed 37 games last season as a result of various issues – 22 of those were due to an ankle injury.
So, if the towering centre-back had decided to return to Conceicao’s setup, it’s possible he’d suffer even more fitness issues.
At this stage of his career, it’s best for Matip to just take things one game at a time at club level, rather than pile the workload on.
Let’s see what the Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying about Matip’s decision…
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