Liverpool star Joe Gomez admits he has been left gutted by the knee injury he suffered in England training this week. Gomez went down unchallenged while on international duty on Wednesday morning to raise immediate concerns. The 23-year-old underwent surgery on his left patellar tendon on Thursday and is now likely to miss the majority of this season.
It is not the first serious injury Gomez has suffered in his career.
The centre-back injured his anterior cruciate knee ligament in 2015 while on England under-21 duty.
He also had ankle surgery in December 2018, which ruled him out for four months.
He posted a message on his Instagram account on Friday evening, thanking fans for their support.
He wrote: “The road to recovery has already begun. I’ve been here before, I know what it takes & I’ll be back better and stronger than ever.
“I’m obviously gutted, but this is part of gods plan (sic) and I believe everything happens for a reason. I’d like to thank everyone for their well wishes and messages of support. I’m focused on my recovery and supporting my team mates in every way I can. See you soon.”
The news of Gomez’s injury comes as a further blow to Liverpool and their hopes of retaining the Premier League title this season.
Jurgen Klopp is already without Virgil van Dijk after the Dutchman injured his ACL in the Merseyside derby draw at Everton last month.
Van Dijk is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign, leaving Joel Matip as the only fit senior centre-back at the club.
However, Matip himself has been hampered by injury problems in the last 12 months.
Klopp does have Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips, though the duo have made just one Premier League appearance between them.
Midfielder Fabinho, who has deputised at the back at times this season, is close to returning from his hamstring injury.
Liverpool have also been hit by the news that star forward Mohamed Salah has tested positive for coronavirus while on international duty with Egypt.
The Reds hope Salah’s retest comes back negative to prevent him from having to quarantine.
However, the 28-year-old would likely miss the visit of Leicester if he is forced to quarantine.
Following the news of Gomez’s injury, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol insisted it was a necessity that Klopp spent in the January window.
“I think right now Liverpool absolutely, because of this injury, have to go out and spend a lot of money,” Klopp told ESPN FC.
“Joe Gomez, at 23 years of age, has already had two major surgeries. That means the chances of it happening again rise.
“You’re talking about percentages of Liverpool defending [the title], you talk about percentages of a player having another bad injury.
“So I think this forces them into it and they should go and get Upamecano.”
