Joe Gomez admits needs for regular gametime to improve England prospects

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has acknowledged that he needs regular minutes at the club level in order to stand the chance of representing England regularly. The young defender was picked by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate for the recent internationals against Bulgaria and Kosovo, but he was left a frustrated figure on the bench in both of those games.

In a report covered by The Mirror, Gomez said that he cannot blame Southgate for the recent treatment, considering there are several players within the squad who have earned more minutes on the playing field this term. He added that his situation with the Reds is acceptable, given the stiff competition for places and he needs to wait for the chance to impress.

He told: “I cannot blame him (Gareth Southgate). He speaks to me and is a great manager but if you meet up with England you are expected to be playing so I have to keep working hard. I have not been playing and every footballer wants to be playing. At the same time I understand that we are European champions and the lads are doing very well at the minute so all I can do is keep my head down, keep working hard in training, and wait for my chance.”

Gomez was a regular starter with Virgil van Dijk during the opening half of the previous season but he sustained a foot injury before the festive period. Thereafter, Joel Matip got the chance to partner Van Dijk at the heart of the defence and the former Cameroon international has proved his worth after helping the Reds win the Champions League.

As such, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has no doubts regarding the defensive combination and Gomez may need to wait until the busy festive schedule before getting a run of games in the league. The former Charlton Athletic graduate also has the ability to play on the right side of the defence but Trent Alexander-Arnold has currently cemented the spot with number of standout displays.