The long road to recovery! Liverpool defender Joel Matip undergoes surgery on season-ending ACL injury

Matip was forced off in the second half of Liverpool's win over Fulham, and scans confirmed that he had sustained an ACL injury. He has now undergone surgery and Liverpool have confirmed that the procedure went well, although he remains set to miss the remainder of the season; the club have not put a timescale on his return.

Matip is the latest Liverpool player to suffer an injury. Thiago Alcantara, Andrew Robertson, Diojo Jota, Alexis Mac Allister and Stefan Bajcetic are all currently on the sidelines. It comes at a particularly tricky time for Jurgen Klopp, given the packed festive fixture schedule.

Matip has made 14 appearances in all competitions this season but his absence may now mean that Liverpool need to dip into the transfer market in January. Liverpool's other senior options at centre-back are Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool will have to assess their options in the January window. They face six games between December 14 and New Year's Day, against Union SG in the Europa League, West Ham in the EFL Cup, and Manchester United, Arsenal, Burnley, and Newcastle in the Premier League.