Joel Matip ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament back in December and has returned to training, but it looks unlikely that he’ll feature before Liverpool’s season is over

Jurgen Klopp admits that Joel Matip won’t be able to return before Liverpool’s season ends.

The defender has been sidelined since early December after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a win over Fulham. Matip is ramping up his recovery to return, but time looks like it will be against the 32-year-old.

As we enter April there could be another seven weeks of the season left, but Klopp believes that will come too soon for the Cameroon star.

Joel Matip is back in training but is unlikely to play again this term

Matip has begun running again but is still unlikely to feature for Liverpool during their bids to win the Premier League and Europa League.

The Reds boss said: “Joel is running. He hates that, but he is able to run again. He’s now pain-free, but it all takes time. I don’t think the season is long enough for him.”

Matip’s injury has tested Liverpool’s defensive resources in a season that has seen them hit with a number of absences. Klopp has seen a host of his first-team players sidelined, but that has allowed young players to flourish. In Matip’s absence, Jarell Quansah has partnered with Virgil van Dijk.

The 21-year-old has played in some of Liverpool’s biggest games and held his own. The likes of Conor Bradley, who has stepped in for Trent Alexander-Arnold, is another talent to come through and make his name as Klopp continues to negotiate the season impressively.

It does mean that Matip won’t play under the German again with Klopp departing at the end of the campaign. As we head into the business end of the season the Reds boss is hoping to have some of his injured players back – Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic among them.

The defender picked up his injury against Fulham in December
He said: “If there are different ways (to get players back) we would have but they just need minutes and they will be needed. Maybe next week. I hope it’s not the case now with Curtis (he gets injured), he was outstanding until he got injured. Outstanding in training but let’s see how he gets on.

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“They are building the body again for all these tough things coming in Premier League games but there are no others way. Only thing is the better we are playing the easier it is to step in from the sidelines. We need them, they have to be back, potentially 14 games in six or seven weeks. Really tough schedule. We need them, for the first time, it’d be nice if we had a bit of luck with players coming back. Stefan Bajcetic has trained fully with U21s this week and then he trains with the seniors next week.”