John Barnes issues Liverpool fans a warning over Joe Gomez

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John Barnes has given the Liverpool supporters a timely reminder regarding young defender Joe Gomez – telling us that we can’t expect too much from him too soon.

The 18-year-old was widely praised for his performances in our first three Premier League games, which all ended in clean sheets for our side, but was disappointing against West Ham last time out – making the mistake which led to the crucial first goal inside three minutes.

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However, former Liverpool favourite Barnes has been quick to point out that Gomez is still young and learning his trade. In fact, the teenager was originally expected to go on loan this season, before proving himself in pre-season (via the Daily Mail) – meaning that his career is still very much in the development stage.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Barnes explained: “I would have never got carried away with Joe Gomez.

“He’s a young boy who they wanted to put out on loan, but he did so well in pre-season that they threw him in to the first-team. Some people were saying that he’s going to be the Liverpool left-back for the next ten years!

“He’s still gaining experience, so maybe we just have to not get too excited about Joe Gomez, thinking that he’s now going to nail down the left-back position.

“He may not have played well against West Ham… but it’s just one bad performance in one bad result. [The criticism of him] is a little bit harsh. He’s a young boy and it’s a new Liverpool side.”

Gomez, who joined us from Charlton Athletic during the summer transfer window, only played 21 league games for his former club before joining us – further underlining his lack of experience. His natural position is also at centre-half, rather than left-back, while he spend most of last season playing on the right.

There’s no doubting the fact that he’s a great young talent, let’s just make sure we give him time to prove it.

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