'There was no doubt about his quality - when he's fit, he can really help us'
Joel Matip's impressive form in recent weeks has come as no surprise to Jürgen Klopp, who believes the Liverpool defender is now fit enough to show his true quality.
Matip’s start to life at Liverpool was disrupted by an ankle injury sustained in pre-season, but the summer arrival from Schalke has played the full 90 minutes in each of the Reds’ last three Premier League games.
The No.32 gave a commanding performance in his debut in the English top flight when Klopp’s side drew 1-1 at Tottenham Hotspur last month, and he has since put in classy displays in victories over Leicester City and Chelsea.
Ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp, who knows Matip well from their days in the Bundesliga, was asked for his views on the Cameroon international during his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s EFL Cup trip to Derby County tomorrow night.
And the boss had no hesitation in praising the 25-year-old for the manner in which he has settled at Anfield.
“First of all with Joel, if you had worked or lived in Germany then you would’ve known much more about him because for six years he was involved in one of the top teams in Germany, playing in each kind of competition and tournament,” said Klopp.
“It was pretty clear that it would make sense, if he’s interested, to sign him. But then it was not the most easy start for him. He had this little surgery in the summer, and that wasn’t without complications, it had a little infection, so he needed time.
“Then everybody could see in his first games… especially tall players like him, they need physical fitness and that wasn’t possible after the break he had.
“It wasn’t a slow start but it’s a long-term project like with all of the players, so we needed to work on things and he needed to work on physical strength.
“There was never a doubt about his quality, it was clear that when he feels fit then he can really help us. That’s what we can see at the moment.
“It’s especially important because of the situation we have at centre-half, we have had some problems with injuries already, so it was really important that he could play.”
Watch the manager's pre-Derby press conference in full