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In another world, one of the heroes of Klopp's time at the helm might have been the perfect solution.

Joel Matip turned 34 on Friday.

Joel Matip became a legend at Anfield.



When fit, he was every bit as important as Van Dijk, worthy of recongition as an equal partner in their miserly record when playing together.

In his eight Premier League seasons with Liverpool, Matip made just three errors leading to goals.

Five of his campaigns were completely blemish-free in this regard.

And as well as being a bastion of reliability in a defensive sense, Matip was a genuinely unique weapon in Klopp's attacking build-up

He couldn't have had half of his assists without Matip, taking up none of the spotlight but quietly enabling the full-back to do his best work.

As he assesses the state of his defense, Slot could only dream of having someone like prime Matip

Instead, all we can do is wish the happiest of birthdays to a true Liverpool legend