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How Jurgen Klopp Can Manage Joe Gomez’s Return to the Liverpool First Team
- Updated: October 24, 2016
When Joe Gomez took to the field at Liverpool’s Melwood training facility on October 13, he was given a spontaneous round of applause from his team-mates, both old and new—such was the magnitude of his return, one year on from suffering a frustrating ACL injury on duty with the England under-21s.
Joining from Charlton Athletic in 2015 for £3.5 million, Gomez was soon lauded as a bargain by onlookers impressed by his composed performances at left-back for former Reds manager Brendan Rodgers.
This came despite Gomez turning out in what Rodgers described as his “third-best position,” with the Ulsterman proclaiming two months after the player’s arrival that “we know we have an outstanding talent.”
The teenager made five consecutive starts in the Premier League, helping to keep clean sheets against Stoke City, Bournemouth and Arsenal, and another two in the UEFA Europa League, usurping Alberto Moreno as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back and making the seamless transition from Championship football.
Then disaster struck, as Gomez forced was off the field late on in the Young Lions’ 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan at Coventry City’s Ricoh Arena, and while U21 manager Gareth Southgate initially told reporters it was “hopefully not too serious,” Jurgen Klopp saw one of his brightest prospects ruled out for the season.
This came days after the German took up the position of Liverpool manager, and now, after months of diligent rehabilitation and a disappointing setback during the summer, Gomez is finally able to show Klopp what he can do on the training field.
However, writing in his programme notes ahead of the Reds’ 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday evening, Klopp insisted, “He is so young and with a long career ahead of him, so there is no need for him to rush.”
The 49-year-old described Gomez as “someone who has a big future with Liverpool,” so how can he manage his transition back into the first team on Merseyside? There are a number of options to consider.
The Loan Move
Such is the level of Gomez’s promise and his current level of ability that his initial return to the fold during pre-season was predictably followed by speculation over a temporary move to join Rodgers at Celtic, but John McGarry of the Scottish Daily Mail revealed Liverpool were not receptive to their former manager’s approach.
Now, with Gomez’s rehabilitation complete, two further clubs have emerged as potential suitors in the loan market, with the Liverpool Echo’s Neil Jones reporting interest from both Huddersfield Town and Bournemouth.
However, Jones also suggested Klopp would be “reluctant” to sanction a January move for the 19-year-old, instead preferring to oversee his transition back into regular football on Merseyside—but there is certainly a case to suggest a loan could benefit Gomez in his recovery.
Away from the pressures of a potential title challenge at Liverpool, Gomez could return to competitive action in a less intense …
