Liverpool’s Joe Gomez reportedly suffered an Achilles injury during pre-season training to extend his stay on the sidelines, and with Mamadou Sakho also suffering from an injury, the Reds may be forced back into the transfer market for another centre-back.
Reports emerging from the Liverpool camp claim that 19-year-old Joe Gomez has suffered an Achilles injury that could further extend his spell on the sidelines as the youngster was only just forging a come-back from an ACL injury that ruled him out for ten months. The injury effectively rules the England U-19 international out for the beginning of the Reds’ new Premier League campaign.
Mamadou Sakho, recently cleared to play for club and country by the UEFA after his doping charges were rescinded, is also nursing an injury and could be a doubt for the season opener. That leaves Liverpool with only two first choice centre-backs ahead of a rigourous pre-season campaign. These developments could indicate some speedy activity in the transfer market for the Reds, who were already linked with the likes of Barcelona’s Thomas Vermaelen and Middlesbrough bound-Neven Subotic.
The Reds seemed to have their defence sorted for next season with the arrival of Joel Matip to go with the presence of an impressive centre-back trio of Dejan Lovren, Sakho and Gomez. The presence of youngsters like Tiago Ilori and Andre Wisdom in addition to the four first-choice defenders saw Liverpool bid adieu to a loyal servant in Martin Skrtel and an Anfield cult-hero in Kolo Toure this transfer window.
The Reds could now regret their sale of the duo, especially Toure who was excellent in deputising for Sakho towards the end of the 2015-16 campaign. That said, the absence of Gomez and Sakho could add pressure on new signing Joel Matip to deliver the goods when he officially gets his Liverpool career underway against Arsenal in what looks like a tough start to the Reds’ 2016-17 season.
Injuries return to haunt Joe Gomez
At the time of his arrival from Charlton Athletic in 2015, 18-year-old Joe Gomez was a prodigious talent and was viewed as a scholarly addition to the Liverpool set-up. A promising start to his career at Anfield was dealt a cruel blow when he suffered an ACL tear while on duty with the England U-19 side in September and as a result was ruled out for the entire season.
Along with Danny Ings, who also suffered an ACL injury, Gomez began a steady period of recovery to set himself up for a return to action during pre-season before the achilles injury played spoilsport. The 19-year-old is yet to feature under Jurgen Klopp having been sidelined ever since the German’s arrival at the club. The youngster will be keen to get back into the thick of action as soon as possible and leave a positive impression on Klopp. Liverpool fans sympathised with Gomez’s situation with social media witnessing an outpour of support and good wishes for the 19-year-old centre-back. He responded with an instagram post confirming his injury and thanking the fans for his immense support and belief.
