ไทย
English
中國人
Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has revealed that defender Joe Gomez will be sidelined for the club's Premier League season opener on Aug. 23 due to injury.
Gomez was forced off early in Liverpool's first preseason match against Sunderland, immediately throwing new manager Iraola into a defensive crisis at center back, where Gomez was the sole senior option available at the time.
While Gomez's current setback is not thought to be overly serious, Iraola acknowledged there is no realistic prospect of the defender returning in time for Liverpool's away fixture at St James' Park next month.
"Joe has a muscle injury," he stated. "I think it was fairly obvious from the moment he complained straight away, so it will depend on how he progresses, but he will be out for several weeks.
"It's a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is hard to give an exact timeline, but I typically estimate around one month.
"If things go very well the recovery could be slightly shorter, if [not] it may take a little longer. It's not a major injury, it's a standard muscle problem, [but] I think it's going to be impossible to have him available for the start of the season given how close it is. It shouldn't be much longer than that."
Liverpool's Nervous Wait Ahead of Season Opener
Fitness concerns have been a persistent issue for Liverpool's backline this summer. Gomez entered preseason as the only senior center back fit to play, with Jérémy Jacquet still working his way back from a shoulder problem and Giovanni Leoni recovering from a significant knee injury.
Jacquet is anticipated to be fit for the Newcastle clash, which would mark his first competitive outing for Liverpool and in the Premier League. He is expected to line up alongside Van Dijk — provided the 35-year-old returns from his holiday in good condition.
Any unforeseen complications would heap further pressure on Iraola, who has been forced to lean on academy prospects Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye throughout preseason.
"You have seen these games, we are pretty stretched at center back," Iraola admitted. "We still don't have Virgil. The only real center backs we have right now are Mor and Ify, who are 18 years old, just arrived at the club and they are performing incredibly well.
"On Wednesday, Luke Chambers played there. He is not a center back but he performed really well. We have to manage until we get some players back.
"I think Jérémy is ready to go and we will get Virgil back, but I'm pleased that playing against Sunderland, against Wrexham, strong teams with 18-year-old center backs, the team has shown composure and solidity defensively and [that] speaks very highly of them."