Potentially huge boost for Liverpool as defender returns to full training | OneFootball

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that central defender Joel Matip has returned to full training ahead of their clash with Burnley on Thursday in the Premier League.

Klopp says that Matip is back in full training following his recent injury struggles, whilst adding that Diogo Jota is still a few weeks away from recovering from his respective injury.

Paul Joyce, of The Times, reported the news, following on from Matip’s three-game absence in the Premier League since his last appearance against West Brom.

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ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

Matip’s return could be huge for Liverpool given that they had to play midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at centre-back in their 0-0 draw with Manchester United last time out. Whilst they kept a clean sheet in the game and Liverpool have only conceded once in their last three league matches, it does affect them offensively as it has taken Henderson and Fabinho out of their midfield roles.

This means that Liverpool’s transition game has been impacted by the lack of centre-backs, with Henderson and Fabinho unable to dictate games in the same way when playing in defence as they are when they are deployed in the midfield. Matip’s return could mean that Henderson is able to slot back into his favoured position and give Liverpool more of an attacking emphasis in the game to help break Burnley down.

Although, the quote from Klopp does not say whether Matip has trained enough to be in contention to start against Burnley. At the very least, he could be back in for the FA Cup clash with Manchester United to get some minutes under his belt ahead of their next Premier League match, to give him the best chance of getting a run of games.