Lovren tips Gomez to bounce back at Reds after injury nightmare

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has praised team-mate Joe Gomez’s mental strength during a lengthy injury lay-off and has backed him to be a top player at the club.

Gomez, 19, returned to the club’s Melwood training ground earlier this month to a round of applause after a year of rehabilitation for an anterior cruciate ligament problem.

And Lovren believes after such a tough year he can now push and establish himself under manager Jurgen Klopp.

“It was a really tough year for him,” he said.

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“I was looking at him every day throughout the year he couldn’t play. He showed so much strength – his mentality was blowing me away.

“He was always positive about everything. He was definitely disappointed but he never stopped believing. It was so good to see him back on the pitch.”

Gomez made an impressive start to his career at Liverpool after signing from Charlton Athletic last summer and centre-back Lovren insists Gomez is a real threat to the current defenders in Klopp’s squad.

“I remember when we played with him last year – the first three games he played, he was amazing. He had an amazing start,” he said.

“This guy is so strong, he’s just 19. He is unbelievable. He can be a top player.”