One look was all it took for Jurgen Klopp to know Joe Gomez was ready for what's next.
“In terms of right now, Joe is in phenomenal shape," said the Liverpool boss at the start of the summer. "We had a few weeks off and when I returned to AXA I saw him and my first thought was ‘Wow!’. Physically, he is in such a good place and now all he needs is a good pre-season and the rhythm that comes from this.”
Within days, Gomez had penned a new long-term contract, a surprising move for some given his limited game time last season and the intense competition for places at centre-back with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.
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“Fundamentally, the opportunity that I have here and the platform and the chance to be at this club is one that is hard to walk away from," the 25-year-old told the ECHO last month. "Essentially, it was me accepting the fact I have got to take on the challenge.”
Pre-season came and went with a change in the pecking order, although it was Matip regaining the place alongside Van Dijk - where he had been for much of last season - with Konate joining Gomez on the bench for the Community Shield win against Manchester City.
But it took barely 24 hours for matters to alter further, Konate limping out of the Anfield friendly against Strasbourg with a knee injury that will keep the France international on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time. Then, on Friday, came the news Matip had missed a training session as a precaution following a groin complaint that has put under threat his participation in Monday's Premier League visit of Crystal Palace.
Suddenly, Gomez is now in line for a first Premier League start at centre-back since the 2-2 draw at Manchester City back in November 2020, mere days before suffering the patella tendon injury while training with England that kept him out for seven months.
It has been a long and occasionally frustrating road back since. While Van Dijk, returning at the same time last summer after his own serious knee problem, hit the ground running and missed only four Premier League games all season, Gomez made only four starts in the top-flight, all at right-back. Indeed, the last time Gomez and Van Dijk started at centre-back together, Liverpool were thrashed 7-2 at Aston Villa on one of the bizarre afternoons only pandemic football could bring.
Of course, it was the Van Dijk-Gomez partnership that played together for the majority of the title-winning season of 2019/20. And it's easy to forget just how comparatively few games Gomez has played for Liverpool at centre-back in seven years at the club. Of 142 appearances, only 67 have been as a starter at the heart of defence, just 38 of those coming in the Premier League.
Lengthy injuries, competition for places and a significant spell at right-back - where Gomez has still shown himself an able deputy for Trent Alexander-Arnold - are reasons for those surprisingly low numbers.
Monday, though, could be a chance to start addressing those shortcomings, particularly with the World Cup looming into view and England struggling to find consistent centre-back options. Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has previously made clear Liverpool minutes are the key to Gomez earning a recall for Qatar.
The Reds defender knows all too well from his own experience how quickly regular starting roles can be lost due to untimely injuries. If Matip doesn't make it on Monday, it will be the opportunity Gomez has waited almost two years to come around again. He's ready for what's next.
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