Joe Gomez started last season alongside Virgil van Dijk at centre-back, and looked like he’d have no problem whatsoever keeping the position for years to come.
The young Englishman was physical, assured and positionally aware – forming a superb partnership with the world-class Dutchman.
However, when he broke his leg during the winter, Dejan Lovren and eventually Joel Matip stepped up – with the Cameroonian putting in his best season for Liverpool and starting the Champions League Final in Madrid.
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As a result, the position next to the planet’s best defender is rightly Matip’s to lose, but Gomez is doing everything he can to convince Jurgen Klopp he’s the man for the job…
According to David Lynch, respected journalist, the 22-year-old came back early from holiday to immediately show the boss what he’s got to offer – finishing second to Duracel Bunnny James Milner in the Opening Day Lactate Test, which demonstrates each players base level of fitness going into the summer sessions.
For us, Gomez is the more talented of the two – but for Klopp – it’s a nice problem to have.
Unlike Matip, Gomez can backup Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back and Andy Robertson on the other side – which might be one of the reasons we haven’t signed a left-back replacement for Alberto Moreno yet.