Liverpool injury news: Joe Gomez becomes THIRTEENTH absentee for Reds this season

The 2020-21 season is shaping to be a massive selection headache for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Just two months into the new season, the Premier League champions have already been without 13 players at various points due to injury or COVID-19. Liverpool's defence has seen the most casualties, with Andy Robertson being the only member of the usual back four who has not picked up an injury this season.

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Liverpool injury news: Joe Gomez joins Van Dijk on the treatment table

The latest casualty is Joe Gomez, who was forced to withdraw from the England squad after picking up an injury during a training session with the national team. The 23-year-old former Charlton defender left the national team setup after sustaining a knee injury on Wednesday. The England FA subsequently issued a statement which read: "The Liverpool defender has now returned to his club to await further diagnosis and will miss the Three Lions’ forthcoming fixtures against the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Iceland."

While the severity of his injury currently remains unknown, reports in the UK suggest Liverpool are fearing a major injury for Gomez, who could be bracing for an extended spell on the sidelines. During Wednesday's press conference, England manager Southgate shared a worrying analysis of the Joe Gomez injury stating the defender was injured with nobody around him and that he left the training session with a "fair bit of pain". 

"We can't speculate on the exact nature of the injury. It's not possible until we've seen scans. My immediate thoughts are with him because he has had some difficulty with injury in the past," Southgate said. "We’ve got to wait and see what the scans show. We’re all hopeful for him, but it’s not a good situation. I don’t see him being involved in our games."

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The Liverpool squad was already very thin on defenders before Gomez picked up a knee injury. Virgil van Dijk has not featured for the Reds since he left the pitch after a reckless tackle from Jordan Pickford during last month's 2-2 draw with Everton. The Dutch defender picked up an ACL injury, which likely suggests a Van Dijk return this season is off the cards.

During Sunday's 1-1 draw at Manchester City, Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced to leave the pitch in the second half with a calf injury. The England full-back will likely be out for up to four weeks.

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The latest Joe Gomez injury brings Liverpool's injury count for the season to 13 first-team players. The likes of Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara were also forced to miss games due to COVID-19. The latter suffered a knee injury during the Everton game and is expected to be back in action after the international break. 

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(Image Credits: Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk Instagram)