Joe Gomez has flown back to Liverpool from Hong Kong after picking up a minor Achilles injury, in what is another untimely setback for the Reds defender.
The 28-year-old was hoping to use this summer to rebuild momentum after a stop-start 2024/25 season that was disrupted by hamstring problems. But he will now miss the rest of the Asia tour after being ruled out of games against AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos.
Head coach Arne Slot explained the decision to send Gomez home:
“He was, of course, with us for the first part of the week, but he had some Achilles problems.
We thought it was better to assess it back in England.
For him to work on [the injury] to come back to the team, [it is] probably in more ideal circumstances for him than being part of the group that every time goes out.
So, we decided to let him go back to England. But we hope and expect to have him back soon.”
Gomez had featured in the earlier games against Preston and Stoke, playing 45 minutes in each, and was expected to continue building fitness across the tour. But this setback adds to his recent injury history, including the hamstring issue that disrupted much of last season.
His absence leaves Liverpool short in defence, with only Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté available as senior centre-backs. Jarell Quansah has already left for Bayer Leverkusen, making a new signing in that position a top priority.
Elsewhere, Alexis Mac Allister also misses today’s match as he builds up fitness, while Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, both the subject of ongoing transfer speculation, are also absent from the squad.
