Impressive Matip ready to return to lift Liverpool

Liverpool central defender Joel Matip is set to return to action in Sunday’s Premier League clash with West Ham at Anfield.

The 25-year-old, who was a free-transfer arrival from Schalke in the summer, has been a revelation for Jurgen Klopp this season and the defender has never been on the losing side so far this season.

Matip though had to sit out Sunday’s 4-3 defeat at Bournemouth due to an ankle problem. He was a late withdrawal from the side that surrendered a 3-1 advantage on the south coast after travelling down with the squad for the game.

Klopp decided not to risk him and played Lucas Leiva alongside Dejan Lovren at the heart of the defence, which conceded three goals in the final 16 minutes.

But now the player has returned to training and was with the rest of the squad at their camp in Barcelona at the Centre Alt Rendiment in St Cugat and he should be available for the weekend.

Matip also did some extra work with fitness coach Andreas Kornmayer to prepare him ahead of the game with the Hammers.

Liverpool have only once conceded more than a single goal with the Cameroon international in the side and have conceded just nine goals in 11 games with him, but nine goals in three games without him.

Earlier this season Matip famously claimed that wind-up merchants don’t worry him like Diego Costa don’t worry him.

“If an opponent tries to talk to me during the game, really, I don’t give a f***,” Matip told The Telegraph.

“There are players who try to say things in a game, but I never care about this. They can say what they want. I don’t think anyone is like Costa. You can play against players who like to make you uncomfortable, but not too many with his size or as famous as him.”