New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has described Joe Gomez's early injury in Saturday's pre-season friendly as "the worst news", as the defender lasted less than ten minutes before going down. The Reds won 4-2 against Sunderland in Nashville, but the victory was overshadowed by Gomez's setback.
Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot, now faces an anxious wait to learn the severity of the injury. Gomez, 29, started only seven Premier League games last season and has a history of fitness problems. His absence further tests Liverpool's defensive depth, especially after Ibrahima Konate left for Real Madrid on a free transfer and Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from a ruptured ACL suffered last September.
Iraola on Gomez and Jacquet
Speaking to LFCTV, Iraola said: "Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe. We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we've lost Joe straight away."
He also addressed summer signing Jeremy Jacquet, who cost £55 million from Rennes but missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury. Jacquet was ruled out of the Sunderland match as a precaution. Iraola added: "With Jeremy we decided to take it easy with him, he's had a lot of months without playing, he's been training very well, but we're going to take it easy with him. He will play probably in the last game of this U.S. tour, he will have time to have minutes, but we were kind of happy, but we've lost one now."
Defensive concerns and transfer implications
After the match, Iraola admitted Liverpool's defence is "very thin". According to ESPN, the club had not prioritised signing a centre-half even after Konate's departure, but the injury to Gomez may force a rethink. Defensive leader Virgil van Dijk, now 35, has only one year remaining on his contract.
