Liverpool will need to wait a little longer to decide whether or not Joe Gomez can take part in the Champions League final next weekend.
That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who report that the player may miss the final after suffering a swollen ankle.
A scan on Gomez’s ankle after the game at St. Mary’s on Tuesday showed no serious injury. However, the swelling is described as ‘heavy’ and Liverpool will have to wait for it to reduce before making a decision.
Gomez had been playing well at right-back recently, and was again on Tuesday before he was forced off on the stroke of half-time. He will reportedly now work with returning physio Christopher Rohrbeck to determine whether he can be involved in Paris.
Race against time for Gomez
Liverpool had been injury-free for a number of months as the season hurtled towards its finish. Intense game after intense game seemed to pass with The Reds players still standing.
That has all changed in the last 10 days with four players now sweating on their fitness for the final.
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Of those four, Gomez is the one that Liverpool could probably afford to be without a week on Saturday. The 24-year-old was called ‘outstanding’ by Jurgen Klopp via BBC Sport back in March, but he hasn’t played a lot of football this season.
It could still be that Virgil Van Dijk fails to prove his fitness in time to face Real Madrid. In that pretty terrible scenario, Klopp would still have Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip ahead of Gomez.
In any case though, it’s bad news that any player may miss the final. Gomez has been through tough times in terms of injuries and it’s unfortunate for him that he could lose out on featuring in another big game for Liverpool.
The Athletic reported yesterday that Liverpool were ‘confident’ of Gomez being fit for the final. That may still be the case, but it’s not looking quite as certain as maybe first thought.
Fingers crossed that the centre-back reacts well over the next week or so to take his place amongst the squad heading for the French capital.