Liverpool midfielder James Milner says he is “devastated” for Joe Gomez after the defender suffered a serious knee injury on international duty.
The England international looks set to miss the rest of the season after rupturing his patella tendon while training with Gareth Southgate’s side.
Gomez’s setback has added to Jurgen Klopp’s defensive headache, with Virgil van Dijk already ruled out for the majority of the campaign with a knee injury of his own.
Fabinho and Joel Matip have also been struggling with more minor issues, although both are expected to feature against Leicester on Sunday.
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Milner has sent a message of support to Gomez and praised the 23-year-old’s mentality.
“We’ve spoken about Virg a lot, Joe is exactly the same. Devastated for him,” Milner told Premier League Productions.
“An amazing guy, first and foremost and most importantly, and you don’t want to see it happen to anyone but [especially not] someone like him. As a player, how good he is as well. People forget how young he is and what he’s done at this club already and how much he has improved and continues to improve.
“He’s still really young. He’s been through this once before with a bad injury and came through it stronger, so if anybody has got the mental fortitude to deal with this, it’s him. He has been through it before and he came back stronger, and I’m sure that will be the case again.
“Obviously we’re gutted for him and how well he’s been playing as well. Not only for him as a player and a person, but also for us as a team it’s obviously a big miss.
“But, like I say, he’s mentally very strong and he’ll get through it and come back stronger. We’re obviously all here with him and supporting him as much as we can.”
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