Thursday 15 October 2015 08:18, UK
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing a cruciate knee ligament while playing for the England U21 team on Tuesday, according to Sky sources.
The 18-year-old suffered the injury in a challenge with Abat Aimbetov near the corner flag, 10 minutes from the end of Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Kazakhstan in Coventry,
England U21 medical staff were initially hopeful that the injury was not too severe but scans have revealed the full extent of the damage.
The loss of the talented youngster is an early setback for new Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, whose first game in charge will be at Tottenham on Saturday.
Gomez, who can play anywhere across the back four, joined Liverpool from Charlton on a five-year deal in the summer and has made an impressive start to life at Anfield.
He began the campaign as first choice at left-back in the Premier League under former boss Brendan Rodgers, and has been playing at the heart of the defence in the Europa League.
However, the knee ligament injury could sideline the unfortunate defender for up to nine months.
Alberto Moreno got the nod on the left side of the defence towards the end of Rodgers' tenure and is likely to retain his place for the weekend trip to White Hart Lane.
