Published 22:56 IST, November 12th 2020
Liverpool confirm Joe Gomez's successful knee surgery, but likely to miss the full season
Liverpool have announced that Joe Gomez has successfully undergone a knee surgery after sustaining a blow during the international break with England.
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Premier League holders Liverpool have confirmed that central defender Joe Gomez has successfully undergone surgery on Thursday. The 23-year-old suffered a blow to his tendon during training while on international duty with England. The England international's injury worsens Liverpool's defensive crisis, with Virgil van Dijk also injured for a long period of time.
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Joe Gomez injury update: Liverpool confirm Joe Gomez knee surgery
In a statement released on the club's official website, Liverpool announced that Joe Gomez had successfully undergone successful surgery to repair a tendon in his left knee. The 23-year-old suffered the injury during training on Wednesday, but no other associated ligaments were damaged. The England international will begin a rehabilitation program immediately with the Liverpool medical team, with the club staff careful monitoring his progress. While confirming the Joe Gomez injury news, the Reds refrained from setting a timescale on his return, with the 23-year-old likely to miss most of the 2020/21 campaign.
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Joe Gomez has been unlucky with injuries in the recent past and the Liverpool defender had missed out on England's 2018 World Cup campaign due to an injury. The injury is a huge blow to Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, who has already lost Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander Arnold due to injuries. Brazilain international Fabinho, who has been deployed as centre-back, has also been out with a hamstring problem, though is set to make a return after the international break. At the present time, Joel Matip is the only senior centre-back available, who himself battled muscular problems recently.
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Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate is frustrated at the volume of matches that the players have been asked to play in this most unusual of seasons and as Jurgen Klopp believes, it will lead to a lot of injuries. Gomez had played essentially every minute of Liverpool’s seven games since the October international break and was given a day off by Southgate after his involvement in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Southgate revealed that the Liverpool defender was in a fair bit of pain when he went down and there was nobody around him.
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Liverpool are likely to buy a centre-back in the January transfer window, with the likes of James Tarkowski and Milan Skriniar linked with a move to Anfield. Tarkowski, whose contracts at Burnley expires in 2022, is unlikely to sign a new deal and the Clarets could cash in on the England international in January or in the summer. Skriniar is reportedly keen to leave Inter Milan at the earliest opportunity, having found playing time hard to come by under Antonio Conte. The Slovakian international could make the switch to Anfield in January and aid the Reds during their defensive crisis.
(Image Courtesy: Joe Gomez Instagram)
22:56 IST, November 12th 2020