Virgil van Dijk has lauded the impact Joe Gomez has had on Liverpool in his absence in the backline.
The Dutchman found himself relegated to the sidelines for two Premier League games – missing out on wins against Wolves and Aston Villa – owing to a red card picked up in the dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over Newcastle back in August.
The former Charlton man has deputised with distinction, performing particularly well in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s right-back slot and impressing commentators with his take on the Scouser’s inverted role.
“Joey G [Gomez] has come in and played a couple of positions unbelievably well and with zero fuss. I love this,” the Dutchman told liverpoolfc.com. “Not only does it bring even more competition for places, it gives us the chance to change games when we need to because it gives us different qualities at different times.”
The Merseysiders are set to take on Leicester City in the Carabao Cup imminently (VIEW TEAM NEWS HERE) with Gomez left out of the squad.
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Many a Liverpool fan, including some of us here at Empire of the Kop, had taken the position that the 26-year-old’s time at Liverpool was drawing to an end following a host of inconsistent outings and struggles with injury.
To give credit where credit’s due, we’ve all proved utterly, utterly wrong, as the Englishman has navigated hurdle after hurdle with genuine aplomb.
The biggest feather in his cap, certainly, and it really shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated given the challenge attached, is his adaptation to a role specifically designed for our No.66’s creative acumen.
Good on Gomez, and hopefully he can keep on showing up his critics as the season wears on and the need for his services arises.