Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has admitted he doesn’t know when defender Joel Matip will make his return from injury.

The 28-year-old has an inflamed knee, which he aggravated after coming back too early for the 1-1 draw against Manchester United, and Lijnders says they will have to wait until the inflammation settles before providing a return date:

“Joel’s knee is still irritated – we need to give him time. I don’t know the exact time he will need but it will really need time to heal.”

Xherdan Shaqiri is also facing an extended period on the sidelines. The Swiss international has not been seen since he came on against Napoli back in September due to a calf injury, and he is now expected to be out until after the next international break.

Virgil van Dijk suffered a dead leg in the win against Tottenham but he is said to be fine, while fears have also been eased about the potential recurrence of Mo Salah’s ankle problem. Lijnders said that the Egyptian was only substituted against Spurs as a precaution. Nathaniel Clyne does, though, remain sidelined with an ACL injury.