Jurgen Klopp has been reunited with another of his staff from Dortmund, with Liverpool appointing Dr. Andreas Schlumberger as head of recovery and performance.
The Reds continue to shake up their medical team this season following a number of departures throughout 2020, including club doctor Andy Massey and physios Christopher Rohrbeck, Richie Partridge and Jose Luis Rodriguez.
Medical rehabilitation and performance manager Philipp Jacobsen is also on gardening leave after expressing his desire to return to Germany, though his profile remains on the club’s official website.
It appears Schlumberger may arrive as Jacobsen’s replacement, with Liverpool confirming the appointment of the German on Tuesday morning.
Schlumberger’s job title is described as being a “newly-created specialist role,” with the 54-year-old set to “support and work in close collaboration with the current performance, medical and rehabilitation leadership.”
His role appears very similar to that held by Jacobsen, though the intricacies of the position may well be different – one thing is for sure, though, in that Liverpool look to be addressing their injury issues with reinforcement in the backroom.
The Reds have been plagued with muscle injuries throughout the campaign so far, with Joel Matip the latest to be facing a lengthy layoff having suffered an adductor problem during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Brom.
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and Naby Keita are also currently sidelined, while Alisson, Thiago, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Xherdan Shaqiri are among those to have suffered setbacks.
Recovery is the key aspect of this season, as with a tight turnaround between most games the priority is on ensuring every player can recuperate ahead of the next fixture.
This is regardless of any injury occurring, and the hope will be Schlumberger’s appointment will aid the process throughout the current campaign and beyond.
Schlumberger joins from Schalke, having spent close to a year with the Bundesliga club, but he also worked with Klopp for four years at Dortmund, between 2011 and the manager’s exit in 2015.
At Dortmund, Schlumberger was a rehabilitation coach, and he enhanced his reputation with a spell at Bayern Munich – where he worked with Liverpool’s head of fitness and conditioning Andreas Kornmayer and head of nutrition Mona Nemmer.
He follows Dr Jim Moxon (club doctor), Chris Morgan (physio) and Steve Lilley (physio) as part of Liverpool’s new-look medical staff.
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