Joe Gomez will miss England’s upcoming friendly against Italy as a result of the injury he picked up during Friday’s win over the Netherlands.
The Liverpool star has been hit with a cruel blow to his ambitions of sealing a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad, with his club duties now representing his final auditions for a role in Russia.
Gomez was handed a start as part of England’s central defensive trio against the Dutch, but limped off after 10 minutes following a awkward fall on his ankle.
The 20-year-old has now withdrawn from the England cohort and returned to Merseyside for further examination, Liverpool confirmed on the club’s official website.
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His injury arrives as an untimely personal setback for Gomez ahead of a defining stage of the season for Liverpool, including a Champions League quarter-final, and a World Cup he arguably deserves to be a part of.
Gomez is currently enjoying his most productive campaign at senior level, slotting in admirably for the injured Nathaniel Clyne and taking meaningful strides towards his eventual transition into a central role under Jurgen Klopp.
Any spell on the sidelines will mount an added pressure on Trent Alexander-Arnold to continue flourishing when the stakes get higher during the concluding run of games.
Having endured a torrid time out of action with a knee problem across 2015/2016, Gomez will be hoping to avoid another disruption to his development.