Gomez made only his fourth start across all competitions this season in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Leicester City on Wednesday night. According to the Sunday Mirror, via the Express, Steven Gerrard has reportedly made signing a new defender a ‘priority’ for the window and is ‘actively looking’ for potential targets. Despite reports that Villa will target Gomez when the January transfer window opens next month, Liverpool boss Klopp has poured cold water over a potential deal.
Jurgen Klopp said: “So, it was obviously not the best year for Joe with the injury and then coming back and having another injury because that’s how it can go. We didn’t rush his recovery or rehab from the tendon injury, but when you start playing and training again and all these kinds of things after long-term – we then had four 100 per cent fit centre-halves, which is why it is not so easy to get game time immediately – then you have game time, then you play, and then the body is not ready for it. We are patient and I think Joe is patient now as well, that’s the situation. I don’t have any plans to give [away] anybody on loan in the winter, so I will not be the driving force – let me say it like this: nobody came to me and asked if they could go somewhere [else]. Joe is now only back for a proper week or so, but because of the circumstances and things like this he could be involved in the squad, but he still needs time. He needs time to train, to get [to] where he has been before.”
