Matip won't feature again this term
Matip won’t feature again this term (Picture: Getty Images)

Liverpool defender Joel Matip will miss the remainder of the season after suffering ankle ligament damage, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The 29-year-old, who has struggled with fitness issues throughout his Anfield career, was taken off at half-time of last week’s 3-1 win over Tottenham following a challenge with Heung-min Son.

The Reds have suffered a near unprecedented injury crisis in defence this season, losing both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez to serious knee injuries, and they will now be without Matip for the rest of the campaign.

Liverpool brought in Davies and Kabak on deadline day
Liverpool brought in Davies and Kabak on deadline day (Picture: Liverpool FC)

‘Unfortunately, we found out now after everybody looked at it that Joel will be out for the rest of the season,’ Klopp told Liverpool’s official website.

‘But he will be ready for the start of the next pre-season and finally everything will be sorted.’

Matip’s prognosis may explain Liverpool’s last-ditch efforts to sign Ben Davies from Preston and Ozan Kabak from Schalke on deadline day.

Turkish international Kabak has joined on a six-month loan move, including an £18million option to buy at the end of the season, and Klopp has admitted he has a ‘big, big talent’ on his hands.

‘He came very young to Germany and everybody was clear he was a massive talent,’ Klopp said.

‘He is only 20 now. He plays in his second club [in Germany]; he is at Schalke and unfortunately they are in a bad position in the moment. For him, I think it’s a really good moment to make the move because, like each player in the world, you need a stable team around you and that’s what we can deliver.

‘We deliver a stable team and you can play your position, you don’t have to be 20 with pretty much everything on the pitch and not allowed to make mistakes anymore.

‘He’s really a big, big talent and we are really looking forward to working with him.’

MORE : Liverpool complete signing of defender Ben Davies from Preston

MORE : Financial details of Liverpool’s loan move for Ozan Kabak revealed

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Liverpool defender Joel Matip ruled out for the rest of the season with ankle injury

Matip won’t feature again this term (Picture: Getty Images) Liverpool defender Joel Matip will miss the remainder of the season after...
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Leipzig's French defender Dayot Upamecano looks on ahead of the German first division Bundesliga football match RB Leipzig v Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Leipzig, eastern Germany on January 30, 2021.
Upamecano is a wanted man (Picture: AFP via Getty)

Chelsea and Liverpool are Bayern Munich’s biggest competitors in the race to sign Red Bull Leipzig centre-half Dayot Upamecano.

That’s according to Bayern chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who also conceded that his side would be losing long-term club servant David Alaba this summer.

Upamecano is viewed as one of the finest centre-backs in European football and has a bargain release clause for a player of his quality.

He will be available for just £38million in the summer but the deal is set to be struck in the coming weeks.

Bayern are thought to be leading the charge to sign the French centre-half but Rummenigge insists a deal is not done, yet and confirmed interest from Liverpool and Chelsea.

‘Besides Bayern Munich there are at least two very attractive competitors,’ said Rummenigge.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, CEO of FC Bayern München looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League Group A stage match between FC Bayern Muenchen and Atletico Madrid at Allianz Arena on October 21, 2020 in Munich, Germany.
Rummenigge confirmed Liverpool and Chelsea’s interest (Picture: Getty Images)

‘The fact is that the player is interesting and the fact is that we will lose David Alaba on the position.

‘Whether there will be any further departures on the position, I can’t give a serious answer yet. You have to let things grow in peace. We have a good relationship with Mr. Struth (Upamecano’s agent, Volker Struth).

‘The player will know what he wants at some point. We have to RB Leipzig have a good relationship. I had a conversation with Oliver Mintzlaff.

‘When things get concrete, we’ll talk again. The transfer fee has been fixed. You have to wait for the time. The two clubs have a good relationship with each other.

‘He almost landed at FC Bayern once. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite dare to do that at the time and then developed well at Salzburg and Leipzig. 

‘The fact alone that Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested in him shows that he has very good qualities.’

His agent, Struth, had previously confirmed two English sides were in the hunt to sign him but suggested Bayern were the side in command.

Struth told Sport1: ‘The release clause was agreed because the player decided to want to take the next step at some point. It is very likely in the summer.

‘Nothing final has been decided yet. The tendency for him to leave the club in the summer is high.

Dayot Upamecano of RasenBallsport Leipzig and Patrick Schick of Bayer 04 Leverkusen battle for the ball during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Red Bull Arena on January 30, 2021 in Leipzig, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors.
Upamecano is set to leave Leipzig (Picture: DeFodi Images via Getty)

‘The release clause is £38m. That is an insane sum in coronavirus times.

‘In summer 2019 it was something else. The proportions of the transfer fees have changed.  I believe that some clubs have to say goodbye to the market values ​​when they sell players.

‘[Apart from the Bundesliga] only the English league is in consideration. The Spanish clubs that were eligible are currently financially unable to do so.

‘It’s no secret that there are two interested parties from the Premier League. A decision will be made and announced in the next few weeks.’

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Paul Merson is 'shocked' by Liverpool's move for Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak
Paul Merson is ‘shocked’ by Liverpool’s move for Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak (Sky/Getty)

Paul Merson admits he’s ‘shocked’ by Liverpool’s deadline day push to sign Ozan Kabak and has joked that the Schalke defender’s agent should receive a knighthood.

The Premier league champions are already closing in on a move for Preston North End centre-back Ben Davies, with the 25-year-old expected to finalise his move to Anfield on Monday.

But Liverpool are also hopeful of completing a deal to sign Kabak from Schalke before the deadline at 11pm.

The 20-year-old has been targeted by Liverpool for over a year and Jurgen Klopp‘s side are closing in on a loan deal with the option to buy at the end of the season.

And Merson believes Kabak is very fortunate to be benefitting from Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis.

‘I think Fabinho’s a very good centre-half and I think Henderson is becoming one as well,’ Merson told Sky Sports.

Preston North End's Ben Davies is set to join Liverpool
Preston North End’s Ben Davies is set to join Liverpool (CameraSport via Getty)

‘I think it’s just more bodies. You’ve got to remember, people are going, ‘go out and buy him’. These players if you’re talking top draw are going to be £60m, £70m, £80m players. You buy them you’re taking £100,000-£200,000 a week, they won’t play in six months. When [Virgil] Van Dijk is fit, he plays, and [Joe] Gomez is a very good player as well, one for the future if not now. We can all spend the club’s money but at the end of the day it’s a business.

‘For me I think they’ve brought these in, they are not expensive, they play the position. I mean, the lad at Schalke, honestly he cannot believe his luck. If you’re his agent you’d look to get knighted. He’s going to the champions, they’ve [Schalke] won one game all season, they’re struggling at the bottom of the league.

‘I just don’t know [why they are buying him]. I honestly don’t know. That shocked me, that really shocked me.

‘The lad at Preston [Ben Davies] is a decent player, he’s a young player, but it’s a massive jump, you’re playing against the creme de la creme in the Premier League.

‘I just think they are bodies. I think it comes think and fast these games, sooner or later if Henderson gets injured and one of the young lads gets injured, all of a sudden you’ve got nobody. Even if it’s inexperience.

‘But the lad at Schalke, honestly, his agent needs to be knighted.

‘He’s not breaking the bank, we’re talking £2m or so, his wages are not going to be massive, he’s not in a position where he comes in and wants £100,000 a week. They’ll be reasonable.

‘He’ll be a stop-gap. If he’s one for the future and if he blossoms, not being horrible but anyone can play next to Van Dijk, he’s a Rolls Royce, if you’re playing next to him you don’t have to be the most experienced player in the world.

‘This lad might turn out to be a great signing in time to come. Playing at Schalke he hasn’t got a Van Dijk sitting next to him.’

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Paul Merson ‘shocked’ by Liverpool’s deadline day move for Ozan Kabak

Paul Merson is ‘shocked’ by Liverpool’s move for Schalke centre-back Ozan Kabak (Sky/Getty) Paul Merson admits he’s ‘shocked’ by Live...
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Jonny Clayton
(Picture: Chris Dean/PDC)

Jonny Clayton may be the Masters champion and a confirmed competitor in this year’s Premier League, but he is not convinced about giving up the day job just yet.

The Welshman caused a huge upset to win the Masters on Sunday night, beating Mervyn King in the final after downing Jose de Sousa, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Peter Wright along the way.

The 46-year-old picked up his first televised singles title in the PDC, the £60,000 top prize, and the final spot in the Premier League in what turned out to be the finest day of Clayton’s career to date.

The Ferret has reached the upper echelons of darts despite still working full-time as a plasterer for a plasterer for Carmarthenshire council and he is still not certain that it is time to give up the day job.

With a major title under his belt and the touring commitments of the Premier League to come, it might be time to go full-time on the oche, but that is not guaranteed.

‘Can you stop asking me these questions!’ Clayton told Online Darts. ‘I don’t know, let’s see what happens, I’ll have a big chat at home, let’s see what comes of it.

‘I’m off [work] tomorrow. I’m going to have to think long and hard about it.

‘I’m home schooling tomorrow with the kids. I’ve got a lot of decisions to make and I’m not going to rush any of them.’

Clayton has always been concerned about taking the plunge into full-time darts, knowing the financial risks of that move going badly, although clearly where there is risk there is potential for huge reward on the oche.

‘I’ve got to where I am by working and I’m afraid to pack it up just to play darts because it might go the wrong way. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,’ Clayton told Metro.co.uk last year.

‘I think it gives me something to concentrate on. I’m sports mad, I love my golf, fishing, watching the rugby. If I finish work, would I put 100% into darts or would I be on the golf course on a sunny day? I don’t know. I’ve never tried not working so I’m just going to leave it as it is for the moment.

Jonny Clayton
Clayton downed Van Gerwen en route to the Masters title (Picture: LAWRENCE LUSTIG)

‘I’ve been thinking about it for about two years, I keep telling the wife that I’m thinking about finishing but as the time gets nearer I’ve not got the guts to do it.

‘I work for Carmarthenshire council, so if I gave up my job at the council I would not get that back. I could go back onto site, but I’d lose my pension and everything that’s tied in with the council.

‘With darts, the money is totally different, darts will always be at the top when it comes to money but it’s just letting go. I’ve got two young kids and that’s just me, I’m probably doing the wrong thing by still working, but it’s just in my mind.’

MORE : Gerwyn Price was destined for greatness, says mentor Barrie Bates: ‘You could see it from day one’

MORE : Phil Taylor welcomes Gerwyn Price ‘to the club’ after PDC World Darts Championship win

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(Picture: Chris Dean/PDC) Jonny Clayton may be the Masters champion and a confirmed competitor in this year’s Premier League , but he...
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Manchester United v Liverpool: U18 Premier League
Joe Hugill has scored eight times in 11 appearances this term (Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted it won’t be too long until academy prospect Joe Hugill will get his chance in the first team.

The striker scored four times in a 6-3 win against Liverpool on Saturday as the Red Devils’ U23s dismantled their arch rivals.

The game grabbed more attention than usual as Amad Diallo was making his first appearance for United since his £37million move from Serie A side Atalanta.

Diallo, 18, scored twice in the rout and given United have earned just one point from the last six in the Premier League, pressure is building on Solskjaer to give the Ivorian his first team debut.

However, Solskjaer says Diallo will be given more time to settle into life in the north-west and that Hugill would be the most likely call-up from the U23s, as he took his tally to eight goals in 11 appearances this term.

KIRKBY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 30: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Amad Diallo of Manchester United celebrates after he scores from the penalty spot during the PL2 game at AXA Training Centre on January 30, 2021 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Diallo scored twice for the U23s (Picture: Getty)

‘We’re going to give him [Diallo] the time to settle in and keep showing his skills, improving, get used to England and our way,’ said Solskjaer.

‘If we go from that game [Liverpool Under-23s], I’d pick Joe Hugill.’

It follows comments from Saturday in which Solskjaer talked up Hugill, describing him as a ‘top striker’.

‘Four goals by Hugill, he’s a top striker as well, we’re looking forward to seeing his development,’ said Solskjaer.

‘Amad gets a good start and why Joe didn’t take the penalty himself to get five goals I’m going to ask him.’

United take on Southampton at Old Trafford on Tuesday as they look to get back to winning ways in the Premier League, having gone two matches without a win.

MORE : Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals referee’s report admits two big errors cost Manchester United in Sheffield United defeat


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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hints at first team call-up for Manchester United wonderkid Joe Hugill

Joe Hugill has scored eight times in 11 appearances this term (Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images) Manchester U...
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims two key referee errors cost Manchester United against Sheffield United
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims two key referee errors cost Manchester United against Sheffield United (MUTV)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that the referee’s report admitted to two key errors which cost Manchester United in their defeat to Sheffield United last month.

United lost ground in the title race after they were beaten 2-1 at home by Chris Wilder’s side.

But United were aggrieved during the match at Old Trafford as Billy Sharp pushed David De Gea in the build-up to Kean Bryan’s goal.

United were then denied a goal after Aaron Ramsdale’s poor handling allowed Anthony Martial to finish from close range, but the effort was ruled out as Harry Maguire was pulled up for a nudge on the Sheffield United goalkeeper.

However, Solskjaer has revealed that the post-match report from the Premier League officials conceded that the two incidents were the wrong decision.

‘I don’t like to bring these up, the momentum shifted for us with the Sheffield United game, but I’ve got the delegates’ report from the ref and the two decisions were wrong,’ said Solskjaer.

Anthony Martial's goal was disallowed after a foul on Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale
Anthony Martial’s goal was disallowed for a foul on Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale (Getty)

‘They’ve admitted their goal should have been disallowed and our goal should have stood. That’s a big, big momentum changer for us.

‘You’re more likely to, when you go 1-0 up rather than 1-0 down, go on and win that game. So that’s fine margins and it has been the way this season, fine margins.

‘You hit the post, it goes in or it goes out, sometimes you’re lucky with decisions, sometimes you’re not.

We’ve got to focus on this game and I’m sure the results and performances will come.’

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals referee’s report admits two big errors cost Manchester United in Sheffield United defeat

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims two key referee errors cost Manchester United against Sheffield United (MUTV) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has c...
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Manchester United's Norwegian manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in London on January 30, 2021. (Photo by Shaun Botterill / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by SHAUN BOTTERILL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is having a quiet transfer deadline day (Picture: Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ruled out any arrivals at Old Trafford on transfer deadline day, thanks in part to an almost entirely clean bill of health in his squad.

The Red Devils are holding up well against the busy schedule of fixtures, with only Phil Jones out injured at the moment.

As such, Solskjaer has little need to dive into the transfer market before Monday evening’s deadline.

United are looking to bounce back from defeat to Sheffield United and a disappointing goalless draw with Arsenal when they face Southampton on Tuesday night, with Solskjaer enjoying a near full squad to choose from.

‘Apart from the wear and tear and quick turnaround everyone should be available, they’re not injured anyway, it’s just a matter of energy levels and see how they feel tomorrow, no new fresh injuries anyway,’ Solskjaer told a press conference.

‘It’s not been time to do a lot on the training pitch, the boys that played are still on the recovery track from Saturday night but they have to prepare for the game tomorrow night, it’s right in between for them, the session was light but some scored goals, wanna get that mojo back, that spark, created enough chances to score the goals now it’s about feeling good, taking a deep breath and putting the ball between the posts.’

The Red Devils have had a quiet transfer window, with the focus on letting young players leave on loan to gain experience, while Jesse Lingard has also gone to West Ham on a short-term deal with playing time extremely limited.

‘We’ve made decisions we feel have been good for individuals and us as well, with the young players moving on, with [James] Garner, [Tahith] Chong, [Teden] Mengi, [Facundo] Pellistri getting the chance to play more football has been important for us and our group is a tight knit group, we don’t have too many players in excess and hopefully Jesse can get going and play well at West Ham as well.

‘I can confirm there won’t be anyone coming in, so don’t stay up late.’

Solskjaer’s men take on the Saints at Old Trafford on Tuesday night followed by hosting Everton on Saturday as they look to get their title challenge back on track.

MORE : Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fires warning to Bruno Fernandes after Arsenal draw

MORE : Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Arsenal’s Cedric ‘cannot defend’ during Manchester United clash

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Full Post Here - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provides Manchester United injury update and transfer latest
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provides Manchester United injury update and transfer latest

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is having a quiet transfer deadline day (Picture: Getty Images) Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ...
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