BBC pundit Garth Crooks hailed Joe Gomez for ‘courage’ after his awful knee injury in 2020. The defender was fantastic against Everton.
Garth Crooks included Joe Gomez in his Team of the Week for his weekend performance against Everton. The centre-back has found himself as a regular for the first time in years after injuries to Ibrahima Konaté and Joel Matip.
And Crooks thinks Gomez is showing great courage to play at this level after his terrible knee injury in 2020. That injury ruled the player out for seven or eight months. It can be argued that it had a bigger impact, though, as Gomez didn’t really play much last season even after his recovery.
Now, though, he’s finally showing his best level again.
“It’s good to see Gomez back in the Liverpool starting line-up again,” wrote Crooks. “The player has suffered some horrendous injuries but has found the strength and shown the courage to come back from them.
“His selection against Newcastle in midweek was telling, while his performance against Everton was composed in the white-hot heat of Goodison Park.”
One other interesting take is that Crooks feels Virgil van Dijk is fortunate he can call on Gomez. The Dutchman isn’t in his best form, says the pundit.
Joe Gomez recovers from knee injury
It’s truly fantastic to see Gomez playing at such a level. We thought he was brilliant against Everton and arguably Liverpool’s best player.
And there was a doubt as to whether he’d hit his peak again. That knee injury was truly awful and essentially tore his first-team place away. Gomez was a bit-part player last season. A huge fall from being a regular in a title-winning side back in 2019/20.
He’s fought back, waited for his chance and taken it. Gomez now looks like an elite player again and Liverpool are all the better for it.
