Liverpool Defender Joe Gomez Leaves Asia Tour With Achilles Injury

Liverpool's pre-season tour of Asia has been disrupted by multiple player withdrawals, notably Joe Gomez, who has returned to England due to a minor Achilles injury, limiting the club to just two fit senior centre-backs. Gomez's injury is considered not serious, but it is a setback following his recent recovery from a hamstring problem that sidelined him for three months last season. This leaves Liverpool, who sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen and have yet to replace him, relying on Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, with midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and left-back Kostas Tsimikas having filled in at centre-back during friendlies. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Alisson Becker left the Asian tour for a personal matter but is expected to rejoin the squad in the UK soon, with Giorgi Mamardashvili stepping in for upcoming matches. Liverpool is actively pursuing Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as a potential centre-back signing to bolster the defense. Other absences include Luis Diaz, who completed his transfer to Bayern Munich, and Darwin Nunez, who missed a recent game due to injury rather than transfer speculation.