Liverpool have been handed an injury boost as long-term absentee Joe Gomez will reportedly return to training in a month’s time.
According to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is only a month away from returning to the first-team picture for the Reds. He ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in October 2015, and has since been on the sidelines at Anfield.
His last appearance for Liverpool came in the 1-1 draw at home to FC Sion in the UEFA Europa League on the first of October. Twelve days later, he found himself on the wrong side of an innocuous challenge playing for England Under-21s against Kazakhstan at the Ricoh Arena.
Can’t help but think that Joe Gomez is going to be our left-back when he’s fit… #LFC
— liverpoolfc.hq (@liverpoolfc_hq) September 6, 2016
Last season, under Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool encountered a tumultuous start to the season. Alberto Moreno was under-performing at left-back and was replaced by Gomez who is a centre-back by trade.
However, the change in position did not seem to bother the 22-year-old, as he proved to be a more than able replacement for Moreno. He looked calm and composed on the ball and also provided a boost in the final third.
Gomez is also understood to be highly rated by manager Jurgen Klopp, who is raring to work with him. The Liverpool boss also has a number of defensive concerns of his own and will be happy to have an extremely talented defender at his disposal once again.
In the recent league game against Leicester City, defensive midfielder Lucas was deployed in a rather unfamiliar centre-back position. The Brazilian looked off the pace and struggled to cope with the high-pressing game of Leicester City.
The Reds ended up winning 4-1 but Lucas made a schoolboy error to hand Jamie Vardy a goal and also gave the Foxes a lifeline into the game. Ragnar Klavan is also struggling to recuperate from an injury picked up on the international stage, further adding to the manager’s woes.
