- Joe Gomez looked dejected as he was forced off early into the tie at Home Park
- The defender had only just returned from a six-week spell on the sidelines
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Liverpool manager Arne Slot has given fans an update on the status of Joe Gomez after the defendr had to be replaced just eight minutes into Sunday’s shock FA Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle.
The Englishman was given captain duties for the contest at Home Park, having only just returned from a spell on the sidelines following a hamstring problem sustained against West Ham at the end of December.
However, he lasted only a fraction of the fourth round clash and will now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of his latest setback.
Fans were naturally concerned and Reds boss Slot was asked about the situation following his side’s 1-0 defeat.
He said: ‘I am not too sure. I am not too sure if it was the same leg, but I haven’t had time to ask him.
‘It was clear, I think we all know which moment he felt a bit insecure about [it] because he didn’t sprint back fully. Then he said, ‘I am not 100 per cent sure and I am afraid if I make one extra sprint things will go wrong.’
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has given fans an update on the status of Joe Gomez
‘It’s not torn I assume, but it didn’t feel good for him. That was a bit of a blow because Curtis Jones was on the bench, but he came to me this morning and said, ‘I don’t think I am fully recovered yet’ as well after the training session of yesterday.
‘That all of a sudden led to the fact we were with a few more youngsters on the pitch than was the idea before the game, but still there was enough quality on the pitch to get a better result than this.”
‘The result is obvious, it’s a big disappointment, and the way we played [there] wasn’t a lot to be happy about as well. The only thing I was happy about is that the boys kept on fighting for 100 minutes.”
Gomez was replaced by young right-back Isaac Mabaya, who himself has endured a tough time with injuries over the last year. The 20-year-old became the fourth academy graduate to debut under Slot.
Moving into an already youthful lineup, the change forced James McConnell into midfield while Wataru Endo dropped into centre-back to join Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas in the back line.
Joe Gomez looked dejected as he was forced off early into the FA Cup tie at Home Park
Gomez’s withdrawal acts as a huge blow for Liverpool’s current longest-serving senior player, who appeared visibly dejected as he trudged off the field – on his first appearance since returning from a six-week absence.
He looks set to join Trent Alexander-Arnold on the treatment table, although the vice-captain’s thigh issue is less severe than originally thought, meaning he could be available for the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
Slot opted to rest a plethora of first-team players for the trip to Devon, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konate all left out of the squad to allow them to rest up for the Everton clash.
