Joe Gomez has enjoyed a terrific season so far.
At the beginning of the summer, with everyone assumed fit, he wouldn’t have made many fan’s prospective starting XIs, but due to the injury of Nathaniel Clyne, Gomez has made the right-back spot his own.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s done very well there too, but Gomez provides slightly more defensive nous and better positional awareness at the moment – so is Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice in the Premier League.
SEE MORE:
Klopp compares Gomez & Alexander-Arnold… his rotating right-backs
His performances have earned him an England call-up and he could make his debut against Germany or Brazil in the upcoming friendlies – quite a baptism of fire!
But Gomez wants, at some point, to switch to the middle.
“Ideally I want to end up as a centre-back,” he told the Press Association, cited by TIA. “That’s where I think I can progress the most and develop to be the best I can be.
“But I enjoy playing at full-back and it’s helped me with my development to this point.
“For me being a young player getting regular games, regardless of the position, I’m just happy to be able to learn. But I do see myself moving inside towards centre-half and hopefully playing most of my career there.”
Asked if he reckoned Klopp saw him as a centre-back as well, Gomez said his manger does – but that at the moment – he’s needed elsewhere.
“Yes, I believe so. I think with injuries opportunities have come to play at full-back,” he continued.
“But while I’m here I will just focus on wherever the manager wants me to play. I’m happy to play wherever, whether it’s full back of centre half. I will adapt to whatever he wants and I’m happy to do so.”
Gomez does have the talent to develop into a top central defender, but for now, we’re actually happy with him on the right. We saw for the West Ham goal on Saturday he was slightly bullied physically, and we need our centre-backs to be very strong and dominant.
Perhaps that’s why for now, Gomez is being used at right-back, where he sees more of the ball and can use his passing and technical skills.