Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has vowed to help Joel Matip come back from a devastating season-ending knee injury.
The Netherlands international defender says all the players are “hurting” after it was confirmed that the former Cameroon international ruptured his ACL in last weekend’s win over Fulham.
Advertisement
Matip will now undergo surgery and the 32-year-old centre-back faces an uncertain future with his contract expiring next summer.
“It’s tough for everyone to take,” Van Dijk said. “I feel very sorry for him and his family. It hurts for all of us. I’ve reached out to him already.
“Joel is a fantastic player and has been for so many years for this club. As a friend, it’s difficult to see.
“Knowing what he will go through now over the next weeks and months, it’s tough. But we are here for him. Whenever he needs us, we will be there for him. First and foremost, let’s hope the surgery will go well and the route to getting back starts.”
Both Van Dijk and fellow centre-back Joe Gomez have previously had ACL surgery.
Gomez was out for over a year after being hurt playing for England Under-21s in October 2015, while Van Dijk was sidelined for nine months following a challenge from Everton’s Jordan Pickford at Goodison in October 2020.
“I spoke to Joe Gomez about it after we got the news. Me and Joey can relate. We know what he will go through and what his family will go through,” Van Dijk added.
“It’s not easy. But he will get all the support from us as a team — that’s the least we can do and we will do.”
Matip’s absence leaves Ibrahima Konate and Gomez as the senior centre-backs vying for a place alongside Van Dijk during a hectic of matches.
There will also be more game time for academy graduate Jarell Quansah, who has kicked on impressively since being handed his debut in August.
Van Dijk said: “I think every time Jarell has had the opportunity so far he has done well.
“When the moment is there for him — like every other player who will come in when we rotate or have injuries or suspensions — they have to be ready. We still have Ibou and Joey, but Jarell is a very good option as well.
Advertisement
“For all the younger generation, if you are close to the first team and training with us, you have to soak everything in. He’s a good boy. He wants to learn and he is learning.
“If you told me at the start of the season he would be doing as well as he is doing, I’d say you were lying. We will see what the future brings for him but it looks quite bright.”
(Photo: Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images)
