Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has given a positive update on Joe Gomez, revealing that the injured centre-back is in a ‘pretty good place’ and there is at least a chance he could be back in action in May towards the very end of the season.
Gomez suffered knee tendon damage during an England training session in November, adding to the existing blow of losing Virgil van Dijk to an ACL injury a couple of weeks earlier.
It has meant that Liverpool have been without their two first choice centre-backs, forced to rely on Fabinho being repurposed in a deeper role. The situation has even been made by Joel Matip’s patchy fitness record, ruled out again due to an ankle problem.
“Joe Gomez is actually in a pretty good place, but far away from being back. He walks around, looks completely normal, is not yet out on the pitch and running or even out of the gym. It's just a really tough injury as well,” Klopp said, via LiverpoolFC.com.
"Will he be available this season? When does the season end? May? It will be close at least, I would say. I don't expect, so I would be positively surprised if he would be back this season, to be honest."
Liverpool had been resisting dipping into the transfer market for a centre-back this month, with their plans very much focused on the summer window and the longer term.
Yet Matip’s fresh injury problem have given the Reds little choice but to at least try and from initially playing down the idea of making a signing after the midweek win over Tottenham because of a lack of options, Klopp admitted the following day that they will attempt to bring someone in.
“I don’t know but we will try. Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, Liverpool is just fine with the situation and they don’t try.’ We try. The situation [on Thursday] didn’t make it easier but it is just still we try to do the right things if that’s possible,” Klopp said.
“My thoughts didn’t change, my words might have. No, it’s the same situation as before. We work on this, we don’t always have training and press conferences and if we don’t sleep, we work. That’s what we did all the time. We will see.”
New York Red Bulls defender and USA international Aaron Long has been linked with a loan deal, while West Ham's Issa Diop has also been mentioned in gossip columns.
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Source : 90min