Injury Update: Joe Gomez Suffers Setback

The young England defender looks to be out until after the Reds tilt against Bayern.

When it rains it pours and on the heels of - or, really, in the same breath as - the news that Trent Alexander Arnold would need more time to recover came confirmation of news that no Reds fan wanted to hear: Joe Gomez has suffered an injury set back. The confirmation came as part of Jurgen Klopp’s remarks ahead of Liverpool’s trip to West Ham.

When Klopp was asked about the TAA, Jurgen let it slip that both he and Joe Gomez would be out of contention for the West Ham match. Which is to be expected if a bit of a let down considering some of the positive news coming out of the club regarding the Gomez’s health in mid-January. Sure, he’s still seemingly on a timeline that matches the original prognosis, but most Reds are undoubtedly disappointed.

Jurgen Klopp was uncharacteristically short when asked about the availability of the England international during his press conference.

“[There’s] no return date for Joe.”

When pushed later as to if Joe might potentially be ready for the Reds tilt against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Klopp said, “No, I don’t think so.” This is the clearest language we’ve heard in a while that the club will need to continue their campaign in search of the first title to grace Merseyside in nearly three decades without the vaunted and versatile Gomez.

Still, as in the news about TAA, not all hope is lost. Yes, Big Joe Gomez’s ability to hold down right back would be very useful at the present moment, but the biggest panic in the club was centered around around the sudden dearth of center backs. Thankfully, Liverpool look to have weathered the storm with Virgil Van Dijk, Dejan Lovren, and Joel Matip all healthy at the moment.

With an ad hoc committee of right back-ish players to fill in for TAA, one would say the club are at least decently positioned to wait patiently on their two young defenders to get healthy. It’s not ideal, but it’ll do. Now, bring on the Hammers.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com