According to The Times, Jürgen Klopp is set to give Joe Gomez opportunities over the next few months after he decided to stay at Liverpool.
What’s the story?
Well, the England international only made four Premier League starts last season, after finding chances hard to come by due to the presence of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
There were rumours that a player of his quality would seek to leave Anfield in search of regular playing time – some even claimed that Julian Ward was trying to convince him to stay.
Steve Gerrard was alerted to this news, with Aston Villa allegedly making the defender a target.
However, The Times have now revealed that Gomez is happy to stay at Liverpool, and is ready to sign a new long-term contract in a show of commitment to the Reds.
In our view, that is fantastic news for Liverpool.
Were it not for regular injuries, Gomez would probably be regarded by more as one of the best defenders in England, as well as one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League.
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, his injuries have come at terrible times, allowing Matip first, and Konate last season, to leapfrog him in the first-team.
Liverpool must use Joe Gomez
We sympathise with Klopp, as he only has two spots for four of the best in their position across Europe.
However, the German must stay true to his word and use Gomez, as it is imperative for the Liverpool No.12 to remain happy on Merseyside.
Yes, Van Dijk, Matip and Konate are ahead of him now, but the Dutchman turns 31 tomorrow, while the Cameroonian also turns 31 in August.
As aforesaid, Gomez is 25, and with Konate aged just 23, these two are the future of Liverpool’s backline.
Therefore, Klopp has a mission on his hands to balance the present with the future, and it will certainly be interesting to see which centre-back pairing he begins the 2022/23 campaign with.
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