Joel Matip injury can help exit-linked Joe Gomez save his Liverpool career

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Joel Matip could miss up to a month of action with an injury, according to The Guardian.

Jurgen Klopp does not want to rush Matip back after he picked up a knee injury. Liverpool will ease Matip back into the action after the international break next month, meaning he will be out until late November.

These are unfortunate circumstances that no one at the club would want. But it does present Joe Gomez with a perfect opportunity to stake a claim for a future first-team spot.

Gomez exit rumours

Recent reports indicate that Gomez is unhappy at Anfield. According to 90min, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are keeping their tabs on the situation with Gomez not getting the game time he wants at Liverpool.

The 22-year-old is frustrated and he wants to be playing more regularly. But in Matip’s absence, Gomez might find himself back in the Liverpool starting line-up.

Lovren or Gomez?

Both Matip and Virgil Van Dijk have been excellent this season, leaving no place for Gomez in Klopp’s preferred XI. The young centre-back must have thought he was the third-choice in this department but perhaps this is not the case either.

In the Champions League last week and against Spurs on Sunday, Klopp picked Dejan Lovren above Gomez. This will only add to Gomez’s frustration as he tries to fight for his Anfield future.

The perfect opportunity

Gomez should channel his frustration in a productive manner and try to reclaim his place in the starting line-up. With Matip out for a month, he has the chance to show Klopp what he can do.

The England international can remind Klopp of his talent tomorrow night against Arsenal if he’s selected. Many Liverpool fans would agree that he should be starting ahead of Lovren and if he does, he might even convince Klopp to keep him in the team when Matip returns.