Liverpool defender Joel Matip is not going to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Liverpool defender Joel Matip has pulled out of Cameroon’s squad for the Africa Cup of Nations. The centre-back has been suffering with a knee injury, which ruled him out of Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Brighton on Saturday. He will be replaced by Barcelona’s Thomas Meunier in the Indomitable Lions’ squad.
Cameroon have named their final 23-man squad for the tournament, which takes place in Egypt from June 21 to July 19. With four other Premier League players included, it is perhaps no surprise that Liverpool are the most represented club at the tournament.
Why is Matip not going to Afcon?
Matip was included in Cameroon’s preliminary squad for Afcon 2019, but was omitted from their final 23-man selection. The 28-year-old picked up an injury during Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Burnley on January 20th and missed his side’s 4-0 win over Southampton on January 27th. After this he returned to action and played 90 minutes against Brighton on February 2nd, but after this he picked up another injury and was forced off after just 12 minutes against Crystal Palace on February 9th. Although he returned to training ahead of Liverpool’s game against Newcastle United on February 17th, Jurgen Klopp opted not to risk him and Matip has not featured since.
