Gomez: I’ve moved on from fans booing

Joe Gomez has insisted he is looking forward to playing for England again after being jeered by fans in his last international appearance.

The Liverpool defender, 26, is back in Gareth Southgate’s squad after four years out and has discussed the psychological hurdle of getting back on the St George’s Park training pitch where injury left “my kneecap right up my leg” the last time he was on England duty.

Gomez had been in the squad for behind-closed-doors internationals in 2020 after the pandemic, but in front of supporters, against Montenegro at Wembley, he was booed after a training-ground altercation that led to Raheem Sterling being dropped for the game.

“It was testing. You never want that to happen in front of your own crowd,” Gomez said. “It was a scenario I’ve long moved past. I am looking forward to getting back in front of the fans and playing.

“I didn’t delve too deep into it or let it consume me much. I understood. It wasn’t great, obviously. I’d be lying [if I said otherwise].”

Gomez has forced his way back into Southgate’s squad this season with his performances across Liverpool’s back line, giving the England manager an option for the European Championship in the summer.

His first training session this week was on the pitch where he suffered the knee injury that put him out for nine months and fearing he would not reach the same level of football again.

“It was the same pitch,” Gomez said. “Nobody would realise, but it was surreal. I think, naturally, there was a bit of an underlying trauma that I can draw a line under, coming back. It meant a lot in that sense.

“We were doing an 11 v 11 when I got the injury. It was quite unique, it was a patella tendon rupture. I was by myself. I just went to play a pass. I planted my foot and then… it ruptured, it was quite gruesome. My knee cap was right up my leg.

“A lot of it is a blur because it was a bit painful. From that point, it was a massive part of my life, probably the hardest point in my career, because of how it happened.

“The last time I saw Gareth, I was waiting for the ambulance. It was tough and it is a big part of my journey that I wouldn’t shy away from. I would be lying if I said it did not have a psychological toll, as I left here in an ambulance quite abruptly from the training pitch.”

Gomez says he was focused on his club football while away from the England squad and had booked a holiday for this international break before his recall.

“I had Dubai booked so I was probably going to be off there,” he said. “Naturally, there were occasions when I thought maybe I had more of a chance than others.”

‘I just went to play a pass. I planted my foot and then… it was quite gruesome. My knee cap was right up my leg’