‘That’s the problem’: Klopp feels sorry for ‘outstanding’ Liverpool player

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told The Liverpool Echo that he feels really sorry for Joe Gomez.

Gomez has struggled for playing time for Liverpool this season and is essentially the fourth-choice central defender at Anfield at the moment.

The 24-year-old centre-back is behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the pecking order at Liverpool.

Klopp has explained why Gomez is not having the best of times at the moment, and has suggested that the England international central defender will play against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp on Liverpool’s Joe Gomez

The Liverpool boss said about Gomez: “He’s been good, Joe is an outstanding centre-half and an even better boy. So he is good but of course it is not the situation he wished for.

“You have a really long time injured and then you come back and think ‘I’m ready, let’s go’ and then you have the problem – not a problem but the situation – of the three other centre-halves who could start earlier and gain rhythm game after game.

“And he was a bit unlucky in the FA Cup when he was not [COVID-19] positive but it was a false positive so he couldn’t play and was unlucky on top of that.

“He is a top-class player and not an inch worse than all the other three who are playing, but the other three have rhythm because they have played more often.

“That’s the problem we have, but for a club with aims and ambitions we have it can happen. It will not last forever but so far it has happened like this. And the next game would be a good opportunity for him – that’s true.”

Leaving Anfield

In our view, Gomez should seriously consider leaving Liverpool in the summer transfer window.

The 24-year-old is not going to get ahead of the likes of Van Dijk and Konate, who is one for the future and moved to Liverpool only in the summer of 2021.

90min have reported that Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United all are interested in the Englishman.

In our opinion, Gomez should seriously consider those options, as warming the bench at Liverpool is not going to help him in any way.

The Liverpool no. 12 has made one start and four substitute appearances in the Premier League, and has made one start and three substitute appearances in the Champions League so far this season.