Due to a selection crisis at the position, Liverpool have been forced to play two 18-year-olds in central defense during their summer preseason tour. Liverpool are currently in the United States, playing a trio of friendlies, with Chicago their home base for the tour. Thursday saw Andoni Iraola address the media, and The Sports Bank was there! Iraola confirmed that Joe Gomez is now set for a spell on the sidelines, but could not make a timeline for his return. He did say it would be “some weeks” however.
“Joe has a muscle injury,” Iraola said to the media assembled at the Chicago Fire FC’s training center yesterday.
Liverpool vs Leeds United FYIs
When: Aug 2, Soldier Field, Chicago, IL, 3pm local, 9pm BST
Liverpool Preview Content: Team News Predicted Starting XI First-teamers Coming Back to the Squad on Sunday
Watch: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Liverpool’s streaming service as well
Iraola on the importance of the Dominik Szoboszlai to the team: Read more about that here
Details on Liverpool’s Long-term Injured: Jayden Danns, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni
“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.”
Pressed for a potential estimate of when the Englishman might return, Iraola said: “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.”
Talla Ndiaye and Ife Ndukwe are the only two healthy central defenders in the travel party to the USA, but that will change with new summer signing Jeremy Jacquet. He is set to make his debut in a Reds shirt on Sunday, when Liverpool faces Leeds United at Soldier Field.
Virgl van Dijk will return to the side next week. Iraola was asked about the club’s potential to address this pressing positional need in the transfer market.
“No, right now, you’ve seen (with) these games we are pretty thin in the centre-back position,” Iraola said.
“We still don’t have Virgil (van Dijk). The only real centre-backs we have right now are Mor (Talla Ndiaye) and Ife (Ndukwe) that are 18 years old, just arrived to the club and they are doing incredibly well.”
The Spaniard then discussed a Reds midfielder who deputized at center back.
“Yesterday (in the win over Wrexham at Yankee Stadium) Luke Chambers played there, he is not a centre-back, but he played really, really well,” Iraola continued.
“We will have to (keep doing that) until we recover some bodies. I think Jeremy (Jacquet) is ready to go.
“We will recover Virgil, but I’m happy that playing against Sunderland and against Wrexham – good teams – with 18-year-old centre-backs, the team has showed composure, solidity at the back and that speaks very well about them.
While Iraola ruled out any activity in the transfer market yesterday, don’t be surprised if something does actually happen on that front. Of course, Iraola is going to say something coy when it comes to ambitions in the transfer window. It’s in his best interests not to telegraph any potential moves.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.