Liverpool sweating on fitness of Joe Gomez as ankle injury forces him to pull out of England squad
Jurgen Klopp will be praying the blow is not major as the Reds prepare for Champions League clash with Manchester City
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LIVERPOOL have been dealt a potentially crushing injury blow after Joe Gomez was forced to withdraw from the England squad.
The 20-year-old defender hurt his ankle during the early stages of the Three Lions' victory in Holland on Friday.
And now he will miss England's World Cup warm-up match with Italy on Tuesday after the Reds confirmed he had now returned to the club.
Liverpool announced the news in a statement, saying: "Joe Gomez has withdrawn from the England squad and returned to Liverpool, the Football Association have confirmed.
"The defender sustained an ankle injury in the early stages of the Three Lions’ friendly win over the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday night.
"Gomez will now undergo further assessment by the Reds medical team at Melwood."
Jurgen Klopp will be praying that the injury is not serious ahead of a crunch few weeks for his side.
They are still battling it out to secure a top four place in the Premier League.
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But perhaps more crucially for them they are preparing to face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Ex-Charlton ace Gomez has become a key man for both club and country over the course of the campaign, making 32 combined appearances.
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And his loss would be a bitter blow for Klopp going into the showdown with City.
Liverpool travel to Crystal Palace next week in the top-flight before welcoming Pep Guardiola's league leaders to Anfield for the first-leg of the massive Euro battle.
They travel to the Etihad for the decider a week later, with a bumper Merseyside derby sandwiched in between the City matches.
The Reds are currently third in the Prem and seven points ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea, who have played a game less.
They are two behind second-placed Manchester United, but they have Tottenham breathing down their necks.
And Mauricio Pochettino's men could overtake them if they win their game in hand.
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