Arne Slot drops hint over chances of Joe Gomez returning from injury against Sunderland | OneFootball

Arne Slot has cautiously hinted at the possibility of Joe Gomez returning from injury when Liverpool face Sunderland on Wednesday night.

The 28-year-old has been sidelined since the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth in late January, having been forced off after an accidental collision with Alisson Becker that evening, and he’s missed the Reds’ subsequent three games.

That layoff came at a particularly bad time, with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley both sidelined with their own injury problems, and makeshift right-back Dominik Szoboszlai will miss tomorrow’s fixture due to suspension after his red card at the weekend.

Gomez set to train today ahead of Sunderland clash

Slot held his pre-match press conference on Tuesday morning, and he was asked whether Gomez is likely to be fit enough in time to play against Sunderland.

The head coach replied (via Liverpool Echo): “Joe hasn’t trained with us yet but I expect him to today for the first time. If Joe is not ready to start, then we are missing four players who have played right-back. Curtis [Jones] and Wata [Endo] played in this position, so we’ve had six different right-backs.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Will Slot gamble on Gomez’s fitness tomorrow?

Whilst it’s encouraging that Slot hasn’t completely dismissed the possibility of Liverpool’s number 2 featuring at the Stadium of Light, the cautious update suggests that it could be touch-and-go whether or not the defender makes it in time.

Ordinarily the head coach could afford not to rush the 28-year-old back into action, but such is the Reds’ selection crisis at right-back that he might be risked even if he’s only 50-50 as to whether he’s fit enough to start.

If Gomez isn’t cleared to return tomorrow night, the likelihood is that Jones will be pressed into deputising on the right-hand side of defence, having done so in the Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven earlier this season.

Slot will also be conscious of the Londoner’s overall injury record during his decade-and-a-bit at Anfield, and the need to maximise his defensive options over the rest of the season given the sparsity of choice currently available to him.

Fingers crossed that our number 2 will be given the green light to start against Sunderland – his experience could be vital in adding stability to our defence for what promises to be a fiendishly difficult fixture away to the only team who remain unbeaten at home in the Premier League this term.