Gomez gets Under 21s captaincy

JOE GOMEZ has been named the new England Under 21 captain, in a move that has capped an outstanding start to the season. The Liverpool defender has put 18 months of injury misery behind him by appearing in four of his side’s first five matches of the season, and he was man of the match in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Arsenal. The 20-year-old has proven conclusively that he is over the problems that stemmed from rupturing his cruciate ligament playing for England Under 21s in October 2015, and his decision to miss this summer’s European Championship finals has been rewarded. Aidy Boothroyd, the Under 21s head coach, was impressed by the way Gomez conducted himself throughout his layoff, and feels there is nobody better placed to lead the side through Euro 2019 qualification. ‘He’s a senior player, he’s won at Under 17 level and he’s wiser than the other boys, having had a long-term injury,’ said Boothroyd. ‘He has come through that and got into the Liverpool first team. It says a bit about him.’