Joel Matip winning the race to be fit ahead of clash against Manchester United

A report by The Athletic (subscription required) on their Red Agenda podcast (h/t Metro) states that Liverpool defender Joel Matip ‘should’ be back for the Reds ahead of their derby clash against Manchester United.

Liverpool are scheduled to face Manchester United on 17th January. They now have a major injury boost in what is a titanic clash at the top of the Premier League table.

By the time the game arrives, United could be top of the table if they beat Burnley on Tuesday. Currently, the two rivals are level on points, with United having played one game less.

Matip suffered an injury for Liverpool in the 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion on 29th December. At that time, Jurgen Klopp stated that the Cameroonian could be out for up to 3 weeks.

“The normal for this kind of injury is round about three weeks.”

If that was factually correct, Matip would have missed the North-West derby on the 17th. However, the defender is now touted to make a possible return just before the United clash. (h/t Metro)

An injury crisis for Liverpool

However, Liverpool would still be concerned about him suffering another injury due to being rushed into the team too soon. Even with Matip, the Reds are in the midst of a serious injury crisis at the back.

Club captain Jordan Henderson playing as a centre-back in their 1-0 loss to Southampton on Monday is perhaps the best proof of that. Both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are out for long durations due to injuries.

In their absence, Klopp has had to rotate his defence line regularly. Now, it seems as if he could have one less ahead of the derby if Matip does recover from his abductor injury.