Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has provided a glimpse into Joel Matip’s recovery from injury.
The Cameroon defender was one of the early names in the extensive list of casualties, after being forced to undergo surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Worries were sparked during the Premier League encounter against Fulham in December 2023 when the 32-year-old went to ground unopposed.
Matip, who is out of contract in the summer, underwent a successful operation but no timescale was given for his return. While his layoff remains unknown, his Reds teammate offered an insight into the gruelling rehabilitation for the former Schalke defender.
Posting on his Instagram story on Monday (March 11), he said: “The Legend is always working,” accompanied by a laughing with sweat emoji and the strong arm icon.
The issue curtailed what could be Matip’s final season at Liverpool after 14 appearances which saw him surpass a landmark 200th appearance for the Reds. With the defender unlikely to play for the remainder of the season, he is among the list of players who will be out of contract at Anfield in the summer with Thiago Alcantara among them.
Speaking in December, Jurgen Klopp said the club will support the centre-back through his rehabilitation and suggested that if it was his decision he would extend his contract. He said: “I’m pretty sure the club will show their class, just as they should.
“I’m pretty sure they have told Joel already whatever happens, as long as he’s injured everything’s fine, and now we have to make a decision with Joel how it looks after that. That’s a normal thing to do but he deserves all the support from us, and he will get it.
“I would say so [that he deserves a new deal], but it’s not my decision. I cannot sign the papers.”
