Injury to Liverpool centre-back opens the door for £85k-a-week forgotten man to start against Palace

Liverpool's injury situation has gotten worse after news broke of an injury suffered by Joel Matip in training ahead of Crystal Palace on Monday.

The news will not be welcomed by Liverpool fans given their already long list of absentees that includes Ibrahima Konate, Thiago and now Matip.

This leaves Virgil Van Dijk, Gomez and Nat Phillips as the only fit remaining centre-back options for Jurgen Klopp.

It's likely we will see a Gomez/Van Dijk reunion at centre-back, but its another injury that the Reds simply don't need at this early stage of the new season.

Latest reports on Matip's injury

The latest news suggests that it is a groin injury suffered by Matip who sat out Liverpool's training session ahead of their clash with Crystal Palace on Monday.

Matip, 31, played 90 minutes against Fulham in the 2-2 draw last week and also started 31 of the 38 PL games last season.

He was overlooked for both the FA Cup and UEFA Champions League final in favour of Konate but has been a constant under Klopp.

The timeframe of the injury is yet to be discovered but it does leave Liverpool with yet another injury to contend with.

The injury should allow for Joe Gomez to make his first start of the season following a lengthy spell of minimal action in recent seasons.

The £85k-a-week centre-back only saw 327 minutes of PL action last season and only started four games last season in the league.

This is a far cry from when Gomez was the first choice with Van Dijk back in the 2019/20 title-winning season; the former Charlton defender started 22 games in the league that year and still stands as the best form in his career to date.

Gomez will be hoping to take this opportunity with both hands with Ibrahima Konate also out of action too; it could be the start of Gomez's redemption in a Liverpool shirt.