Joe Gomez fitness update as defender eyes return

The 19-year-old has endured a torrid time since he ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee playing for England U21s last October.

Gomez was close to returning to full training in mid-July when he suffered a major setback after being diagnosed with tendinopathy in his Achilles.

He has been having extensive treatment since with Liverpool reluctant to put a timescale on his comeback as medical staff work to ensure the problem is completely resolved.

However, the hope is that Gomez will be able to finally resume training in mid to late October. By then he will have been sidelined for more than a year so will need a sustained spell working outside at Melwood before he’s considered for selection by Jurgen Klopp.

The Liverpool boss rates Gomez highly and is looking forward to working with him over the coming months and years. The talented teenager’s return to action over the course of this season was one of the reasons why Klopp was reluctant to sign another defender during the summer transfer window.

Gomez’s right knee is now fine and it’s simply a case of getting his Achilles problem sorted before he can look to get his promising career back on track.

The youngster, who can play centre-back or full-back, joined the Reds from Charlton Athletic for an initial fee of £3.5million in June 2015.

He quickly endeared himself to Kopites with his composed displays at the back, clocking up seven appearances before the injury suffered on international duty cruelly wrecked his campaign shortly after Klopp’s appointment.

His last outing for Liverpool was in the 1-1 draw at home to FC Sion in the Europa League on October 1 - some 12 days before he was hurt in an innocuous challenge playing for England U21s against Kazakhstan at the Ricoh Arena.

Source: Liverpool Echo

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