Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has spoken candidly about the heartbreak of missing the World Cup after rushing back from an ankle injury. The 20-year-old suffered the setback just six minutes into England's friendly against Holland in March, and his subsequent decision to return to action prematurely cost him a potential place in both the Champions League final and the World Cup semi-final.
Gomez admitted to a period of self-blame after the recurrence of the injury, which ultimately required surgery. 'I had a long period where I was beating myself up,' he said. 'I was replaying it over in my mind. I kept thinking I should have done something to stop things going the way they did. Hindsight is a beautiful thing.' He acknowledged the difficulty of watching his England teammates succeed without him, but described it as a learning experience.
The defender revealed he hid his pain to avoid letting down Liverpool or England. After playing through discomfort against Stoke, he was finally ruled out by medical staff. 'I spoke with the gaffer and I didn't want to not face up to it,' Gomez explained. 'The doctor checked me after Stoke and he wouldn't let me play on it.' He was still wearing a surgical boot when Gareth Southgate named his World Cup squad without him.
Gomez has since returned to full fitness, playing every minute of Liverpool's league campaign so far and earning an immediate recall to the England squad. However, he recognises the challenge of breaking into a team that reached the World Cup semi-finals. 'The squad that went to the World Cup went through something that was once in a lifetime,' he said. 'It's nice to try and be a part of that and hopefully I can be.'
