RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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James Pearce provides worrying Liverpool injury update
Joe Gomez Injury Puts Liverpool Centre-Back Depth Under Immediate Pressure
Liverpool’s pre-season in the United States has gone well on the surface. Two wins, good rhythm, and one more outing against Leeds United before the squad heads home. Fine. But pre-season records mean very little when the bigger issue is sitting in plain sight, and right now that issue is centre-back depth.
Joe Gomez is expected to miss the start of the Premier League season after suffering a muscular injury in the opening friendly against Sunderland. Speaking in Chicago, Andoni Iraola said: “Joe has a muscle injury. I think it was quite clear since he complained straight away, so it will depend how he evolves, but he will be some weeks off.” He then added: “It’s a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put myself as one month. If it goes very good the injury is a little bit less, if [not] it goes a little more. It’s not massive, it’s a normal muscle injury, [but] I think it’s going to be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far [away]. It shouldn’t be a lot more.”
That is clear enough. Liverpool will be without an experienced, versatile defender when the campaign begins. For a squad already light in that area, it matters.
Youngsters Missing Most Of Preseason
Virgil van Dijk has only recently returned to training, while Giovanni Leoni remains unavailable. New signing Jeremy Jacquet has still not featured, with the club taking a cautious approach after his shoulder issue and a lengthy lay-off. As James Pearce reported, Jacquet was kept to gym work rather than team training, with his readiness for Leeds still uncertain. Pearce posted on X: “Jeremy Jacquet doing a gym session today rather than team training. Being managed carefully having not played since February. Remains to be seen if he’s ready to feature v Leeds on Sunday.”
There is talent there. Liverpool clearly rate Jacquet highly, and they moved decisively for him earlier in the summer. But potential does not solve immediate problems. If he has not played since February, then expecting him to step straight into meaningful Premier League minutes would be optimistic.
This is what pre-season is for, exposing weak spots before the serious football starts. Liverpool still have time to steady things, but the Gomez injury has sharpened the focus. The team may yet finish the US tour with another win, but the real concern travels back to Merseyside with them.
Our View
From a worried Liverpool fan’s perspective, this is the sort of update that sets alarm bells ringing. Not because Gomez being out for a few weeks is catastrophic on its own, but because it immediately shows how thin things look at centre-back.
Gomez has had rotten luck with injuries over the years, and you feel for him. At the same time, Liverpool cannot keep planning around defenders who are always one setback away from another spell out. Van Dijk needs careful management, Leoni is unavailable, and Jacquet sounds nowhere near ready for the sort of responsibility he might now face. That is not ideal, it is risky.
The concern is simple. Liverpool are heading towards the start of a new season under Iraola, with a lot of change around the club already, and the last thing supporters want is a patched-up defence before a ball has even been kicked in anger. Pre-season wins over Sunderland and Wrexham are nice enough, but nobody serious is getting carried away by those results.
If Jacquet comes good, brilliant. If Gomez returns quickly, even better. But supporters have seen this film before. A “normal muscle injury” here, a delayed return there, and suddenly you are into September talking about emergency solutions. Liverpool need stability at the back, not more uncertainty. That is the worry.
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