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Kop legend Sami Hyypia has saluted the impact of “dominant” Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip .

The former Reds defender has been impressed by the Cameroon international, who moved to Anfield on a free transfer from Schalke last summer.

Hyypia says Matip, who has yet to be on the losing side in 14 appearances for Liverpool, has every quality you want to see in a centre-back.

“I knew him from Germany, I think I played against him and then managed Leverkusen when he was at Schalke,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.

“He’s a good player. He’s a big guy, dominant player, very comfortable on the ball and that’s a big piece of how the team plays.

“When you want to play football, you need to have somebody who is comfortable on the ball and on the other hand a strong defender.

“His style of play is that he is comfortable on the ball but I think that comes from confidence, he is very confident that he can play football.

“If you want to see similarities, I think there are some, but I think he’s a bit quicker than me!”