Jurgen Klopp has sent a pointed message to Gareth Southgate regarding one Liverpool player ahead of this summer’s European Championship.
This month’s international break represents the final opportunity for the England coach to assess his options before selecting his squad for Euro 2024 in Germany.
The Reds boss has made the case for Joe Gomez to be given a seat on the plane by the 53-year-old due to his ability to cover several positions, and the ease with which he’s adapted to his ever-changing roles at Anfield this season.
Speaking about the Liverpool defender, Klopp said (via Daily Mail): “I am not standing here telling Gareth who he should pick but you can get one player and have four positions covered. Wonderful.
“If you play football at this level, there is [a big] difference between centre-half, full-back, right, left, to the number 6, and he is capable of that transition in his mind. He is one of those stories. What a wonderful player he is and I am so happy he can show that again.
“In midfield, the game is coming from all angles. Everything changes and he has dealt with it so well. It’s crazy – really good and super-important.”
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Based on the form he’s shown for Liverpool this season – and especially in recent weeks with so many first-team colleagues ruled out injured – Gomez would be more than worthy of inclusion in Southgate’s upcoming England squad.
Alas, if the 26-year-old doesn’t get the call, it’d seem that his prospects of going to Euro 2024 would rest on either a phenomenal final two months of the campaign, or other defenders in Three Lions contention succumbing to injury.
The Londoner’s hopes of making the plane to Germany could simultaneously be helped and hindered by UEFA reducing squad sizes for the competition to 23 from the 26 which could be picked for the previous edition three years ago.
Sheer mathematics make it harder for Gomez to be selected for the Euros, but his superior versatility to most other players could be the trigger for Southgate to call him up due to the decreased pick available to him for June compared to the last two major tournaments.
If the Liverpool defender is in the squad this month, it’d be fully deserved, and a rich reward for his performances at club level. If he’s overlooked again, it’ll give him a timely breather ahead of the sprint to the finish line, which could be crucial to our hopes of winning further silverware this season.