Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp makes ‘tough’ Joe Gomez admission amid Aston Villa and Real Madrid links

Jurgen Klopp admits things have been 'tough' for Joe Gomez at Liverpool this season having had so few chances to impress.

The England international has slipped down the pecking order since recovering from a long-term knee injury.

Background

Gomez, 24, has been fourth-choice centre-back behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and summer signing Ibrahima Konate.

He's made just 12 appearances in all competitions and has not made a Premier League start.

Klopp confirmed Gomez would have featured in Sunday's 3-1 FA Cup defeat of Cardiff - only to be unavailable having had to isolate after a positive Covid-19 test.

The Liverpool boss urged the defender be ready should a Reds chance come around.

Klopp said: “It's really unlucky for Joe, absolutely. When Joe played for us, he consistently played on an incredibly high level, one of the best centre-halves in England for sure.

“But then the big injury came, little injuries came on top of that, COVID came now. There was really bad timing – he would have definitely played Cardiff, it would have helped him to gain some rhythm, momentum if you want.

“He couldn't play there because of COVID and these kind of things. It's tough. What I can say as well, there are tougher things than being a squad player in the moment for Liverpool – there are much harder things out there in the world.

“The only answer in football is always you have to fight through these moments, that you are ready for the moment when the situation changes. That's it.

“How I said, we had too often only one centre-half available or none even, so we couldn't have reacted differently.

“But the quality of the boys, and especially of Joe – who played obviously not enough football in the last few months – is incredible. Having him in training shows just what a high-quality squad we have in the moment.

“If somebody like Joe played only 15 minutes since Leicester the last time, that says everything about it.

“It's never nice for the players, I understand that 10% but Joe takes it really professional so far and knows he's still a young lad and everything will be fine in the future. But in the moment, it's for sure harder."

Could Joe Gomez leave Liverpool?

Gomez has been linked with a potential Liverpool departure amid his lack of playing time.

He's lost his place in the England squad and may feel he needs to play regularly elsewhere to force his way back into Gareth Southgate's plans for the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year.

In December, the BBC reported that Real Madrid were monitoring Gomez ahead of a potential summer move.

Gomez is also reportedly admired by Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

The former Liverpool captain was supposedly keen on signing the ex-Charlton centre-half during the January transfer window.

Gomez is under contract at Anfield until the summer of 2024.