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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
David Lynch

Liverpool man ignored despite pre-season advantages as Jurgen Klopp ponders new partnership

It is perhaps down to Joel Matip's inconspicuous nature that his return to training this week has slipped under the radar.

Amid the excitement over Ibrahima Konate's first Liverpool sessions and the involvement of the fit-again Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, their fellow centre-half has been ignored.

That indifference provides a small insight into the many conversations that have taken place this summer regarding Jurgen Klopp's pecking order in that position.

While Matip's quality is rarely doubted, he tends to feature fourth in most people's minds in terms of favoured central defenders.

But that probably should not come as any surprise given how his last few years in a Liverpool shirt have panned out.

Largely as a result of injuries, the 29-year-old has featured in just 1,394 minutes out of a possible 6,840 (20 per cent) over the last two Premier League seasons.

And his regular absences were never more frustrating than last term, when the opportunity to take on a leading role presented itself in the form of long-term injuries to Van Dijk and Gomez.

Unfortunately, Matip soon followed both men into the treatment room with an ankle ligament issue that felt more like a continuation of the problems that had previously plagued him than a freak occurrence.

That setback subsequently ensured he joined Liverpool's Austrian training camp this week facing doubts over his long-term standing.

Not that you could tell from the positive note he struck in telling Liverpool.com: “I’m feeling good.

"It’s nice to be back in training with the lads and to just be playing, playing [with] the ball and being active.

"I feel really good at the moment. I have a lot of sessions ahead of me but I am feeling good and I hope to continue like this."

The best news for Matip is that he is coming back from a far less severe injury than that suffered by his colleagues and, as such, is further down the line in terms of recovery.

And, though Konate arrives with no fitness concerns attached to him, he is still starting from scratch in terms of learning what is expected of a Klopp centre-back.

These factors only enhance the possibility of Liverpool's fittest and most experienced centre-back starting on the opening day of the season against Norwich – a potential platform to a prolonged run in the team.

That will certainly be the player's first aim – along with avoiding injury, of course - as he works himself back into peak condition during the Reds' stay in Salzburg.

While he may be renowned as a composed, quiet character at Kirkby, you do not reach this level of any sport without being fundamentally competitive.

And that is a side of his personality he may need to show more readily in the coming weeks if he is confound pre-season predictions over his place in Klopp's thinking.

Do you want an exclusive pre-season Liverpool preview - both in your inbox and through your letterbox? Head over here to find out more and secure your copy.

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