Liverpool have been stricken, wounded and ravaged by an injury crisis this season.
The hectic, revised fixture schedule brought about by the COVID-19 disruptions of 2020 have led to a spike in injuries and Jurgen Klopp has been calling for a return to five substitutions.
And it's no wonder when you see how many players at Anfield have been confined to the treatment table with Joel Matip proving the club's only senior and available centre-back at present.
Liverpool's injury woes
The club's defence has been particularly battered with Virgil van Dijk effectively ruled out for the season courtesy of Jordan Pickford's brutal tackle during the Merseyside Derby.
That's not to mention Trent Alexander-Arnold being set to miss a smattering of games and Fabinho's short stint at centre-back being ended by a crock in the Champions League.
However, perhaps the most damning update of all came with news on Wednesday that Joe Gomez, one of the few defenders available to Liverpool, had picked up a serious knock on England duties.
More bad news for Joe Gomez
According to the BBC, England boss Gareth Southgate said: "I can't tell you how serious it is as he's yet to have scans. What was upsetting was to see he was in a fair bit of pain."
And while we are still waiting for official confirmation, reports in the British media on Wednesday evening seemed unanimous in fearing that Gomez could be absent for the rest of the season.
The Mirror reported that Gomez himself fears that he might have to sit out the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign and could, therefore, miss out on playing for the Three Lions at the Euros.
Meanwhile, in the Telegraph, it's added that despite hope Gomez hasn't suffered a second ACL injury as he did in 2015, that the problem could still be season-ending by way of relating to the patellar tendon.
All the best, Joe
We can only keep everything crossed that the injury isn't as serious as Gomez suspects and that we will see the thoroughly-talented centre-back in a Liverpool shirt again this season.
You dread to think what it must be like to be robbed of the ability to do the thing you love for the best part of a year, especially when Gomez has already faced a 15-month layoff in his career.
From everyone here at GIVEMESPORT, we wish you the best for your recovery, Joe, no matter how long the recovery time and we don't doubt for one second that you'll come back even stronger.
