Arne Slot gives Joe Gomez fresh message on Liverpool future

Dom Farrell

Arne Slot gives Joe Gomez fresh message on Liverpool future image

Joe Gomez has been given encouragement over his Anfield future by Liverpool manager Arne Slot.

Gomez did not travel with the Liverpool squad for last weekend’s opening 2-0 Premier League victory at Ipswich Town and a report by The Times claimed Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Fulham and Chelsea had all shown an interest in the England defender.

Jarell Quansah got the nod to partner Virgil van Dijk at Portman Road before being replaced by Ibrahima Konate at halftime.

It adds to the impression that the berth next to Van Dijk in the Liverpool backline remains up for grabs and, speaking ahead of Sunday’s match against Brentford at Anfield, Slot praised Gomez’s application during training and insisted the 27-year-old’s absence on the opening day was down to fitness concerns rather than any transfer uncertainty.

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Yeah, it's [his head] been in the right place for three weeks,” the Dutchman said. “He's worked really hard since he came back, but he didn't play a lot at the Euros. 

“When he came back in the first sessions he couldn't train the whole sessions, so we had to manage his load a bit. That was also the reason why he wasn't in the team last Saturday. 

“But this week he had a good week in terms of load and how much he could do with the team. He's one of the players that I see new things from and learn things from what I see, also combined with other players. It's been a good week for him and for us until now.”

Gomez was one of only three England outfield players, along with Brighton centre-back Lewis Dunk and Crystal Palace youngster Adam Wharton, not to play a single minute at Crystal Palace.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.