October 29, (THEWILL) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has emphasised that Joe Gomez must “keep working really hard” if he is to regain his position in the team.
Already struggling to regain full fitness after suffering a long-term ACL injury last season, competition for spots from a resurgent Joel Matip and summer arrival Ibrahima Konate has pushed Gomez down the pecking order at Anfield.
During Liverpool’s premier league title-winning season, the 24-year-old was a regular alongside Virgil van Dijk. However, he has yet to start a league match this season, having come off the bench twice, with two of his three starts coming in the Carabao Cup.
Gomez remains increasingly anxious that his lack of playing time at Liverpool could harm his chances with England as the 2022 World Cup approaches. He has expressed his displeasure to Klopp, as he did previously in 2019, prior to securing a starting spot.
Although there is no indication that the player intends to leave Anfield, if nothing changes by January, he may start to reconsider his position.
This was a subject that Klopp touched on when he faced the media on Friday. The German gaffer demonstrated a grasp of the issue when he said: “It is not easy. That is clear. But it was always clear that in our situation we had to bring in a defender, we all agreed.
“Joey hasn’t played much, that’s how it is, he had a long-term injury. We have to deal with the intensity and now we’re not even halfway through the season and we are talking about these things.
“Hopefully no injuries but that’s a footballer’s life. You have to be on top of your game for the moment you come in. The only thing you can do is keep working really hard.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
