Joel Matip’s list of injuries at Liverpool have made it difficult to drum up interest in him this summer after he left Anfield on a free transfer.
That’s according to Der Westen, who cover the player today and the potential for him to end up back at former club Schalke.
Matip is available on a free transfer this summer after Liverpool failed to offer him an extension to his deal.
That brought an end to an eight-year stay at Liverpool for the central defender, who joined the Reds on a free transfer in July 2016.
He made 201 appearances for the club in that time, winning the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, two League Cups and the Community Shield in that time.
He was, though, a regular absentee thanks to injuries, racking up a long list of various ailments over his eight years, including problems with his ankles, hamstring, thigh, groin, calf, and even a broken collarbone.
His last and worst injury was a cruciate ligament tear picked up in December last year, which has so far seen him spend 209 days in treatment and saw him miss 37 games for Liverpool last season.
Der Westen report on that, explaining the 16 different injuries he suffered at Liverpool and 140 games he missed because of it haven’t gone unnoticed.
Many top clubs are refraining from making a move and the risk of that cruciate ligament tear may be too great for most clubs. That is why there have been no rumours about his future to date.
Schalke fans have dreamed of a ‘spectacular return’ for their former player but even that may not be possible as Matip’s wages would probably not be manageable for the German club. Even if he reduced his €6m salary from Liverpool by half it would still be too much.
It would be a ‘big surprise’ if they were to get a deal done, with this summer already proving to be a tricky one for the defender.
