Joel Matip has admitted he is currently approaching peak physical condition after years of injury hell at Liverpool.
The former Schalke defender has suffered setbacks in each of his five seasons at the club to date, with last campaign his most problematic so far.
Matip missed a total of 37 games during the 2020/21 season, joining Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez on the treatment table as the Reds dealt with a crisis in central defence.
He now hopes such struggles can be put in the past as the 30-year-old sets his sights on playing a key role in Jurgen Klopp's side this term.
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Providing an update on his fitness, Matip said: "I'm on my way to being in the best shape I can be, but i think I need more games to really be in good shape. It's always different to play in proper competitions and you need a bit of time for the legs and the health.
"Even if you get a setback or bigger knock, you just have to work hard and then you always have the chance to come back and be in a good shape again," added the Reds' defender.
Though not always an ever-present in the starting-eleven due to injury issues, Matip has become somewhat of a cult hero off the pitch.
A Twitter account named 'No Context Joel Matip' boasts over 75,000 followers and regularly uploads images and videos of the towering centre-back acting in an unorthodox manner in training as well as games.
Matip has seen the funny side to these posts and is often reminded of them by team-mates, particularly Van Djik.
"My team-mates, especially Virgil, he loves this kind of stuff. He's the one like 'Oh, did you see it?' and he's normally one of the first who saw it and loves this stuff, he told BeIN SPORTS.
"Some of them are quite funny, I can laugh about myself and I don't know what I'm always doing. It seems that I'm not always aware of the cameras that are always around me, but I don't really look for them. My mind is often on the game or somewhere else.
"It's always great to have supporters who like you and support you, it's just a great feeling."
