After Van Dijk, Liverpool Could Be Without England Defender For Season Remainder: Report

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has withdrawn from England squad after suffering a knee injury. He reportedly could miss the remainder of the season.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is concerned that Gomez's injury, which he suffered while training ahead of England's friendly fixture against the Republic of Ireland, is serious and could result in the player missing the Euros next summer, reported Mirror. International Business Times could not independently verify the point.

The 23-year-old English defender has returned to Liverpool and will undergo further diagnosis on the issue with Reds' medical team, the club confirmed in an official statement Wednesday.

Gomez, who is also set to miss England's fixtures against Iceland and Belgium during the ongoing international break, sustained the injury while training Wednesday. There were no other players around him at the time and he just collapsed, the England national team's boss Gareth Southgate told Three Lions' official website, TheFA.

"I can't tell you how serious it is as he's yet to have the scans. What was upsetting was to see he was in a fair bit of pain. There was nobody around him when the injury happened. I didn't like that element of it. We're hopeful for him that it's not what it might be, but it's not a good situation. My immediate thoughts are with him because he's had some difficulties with injury in the past. We're hoping and praying that it's not going to be a long-term one, but we just have to see,” added Southgate in the TheFA interview.

Southgate, who has worked with Gomez in the Under-21s, is aware of the player's injury history and therefore, the head coach is worried about his current situation. The Liverpool center-back missed the 2018 World Cup through injury. The player's club and his national team are worried that it could be a similar knee problem to the cruciate ligament, which Gomez suffered five years ago that had kept him out for a long time.

Gomez's injury has only added to Klopp's woes, considering the defending Premier League champions already have a few defenders out of action because of injuries. Their key center-back Van Dijk is believed to be out of the 2020-21 season after suffering an ACL injury during the Merseyside derby a few weeks back at Goodison Park. The Dutchman underwent successful surgery and has begun his rehabilitation, which could take a few months, at least.

Liverpool have also been without Fabinho, who had been filling in defense for Van Dijk, because of a hamstring injury. Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold earlier this week was ruled out until December after he suffered a calf injury during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Etihad on Sunday.