Liverpool manager Iraola reveals Gomez's muscle injury.

Liverpool's centre-back Joe Gomez suffered a muscle injury during the club's preseason tour in the United States.

Head coach Andoni Iraola revealed Gomez's latest injury situation at a press conference in Chicago, confirming that Gomez will face several weeks of injury and will most likely miss the first round of the new season.

In the previous match against Sunderland, Gomez was forced to leave the game injured after just 8 minutes. Speaking about Gomez's condition, Iraola said, "Joe suffered a muscle injury. He felt the discomfort immediately, so he will be out for a few weeks."

"It's difficult to predict the exact return date for muscle injuries, but I usually estimate it to be around a month. If the recovery goes smoothly, it will be shorter. This is just a common muscle injury, but it's almost impossible to be back in time for the start of the season."

Gomez's injury further strained Liverpool's already tight central defensive position. With Jeremy Jacquet also unavailable and Virgil van Dijk having just returned from the World Cup, Liverpool had to rely on young players in their match against Wrexham.

Facing the current shortage of defensive personnel, Iraola admitted: "We are indeed very short of players in the center-back position. The only true center-backs we have right now are Mor and Ifi, who are only 18 years old and have only recently joined the team."

"Chambers played in this position yesterday and did very well. We have to transition like this before we welcome back the other starters."

Despite the shortage of personnel, Iraola still praised the performance of the young defenders: "Faced with strong teams like Sunderland and Wrexham, these 18-year-olds showed composure and resilience on the defensive end, and their excellent performance deserves praise."

Image source: Internet/BBC official website