Joe Gomez closes in on comeback after long-term injury absence

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has stepped up his recovery process and is nearing a return to the first-team. The defender has been sidelined for almost a full year with knee and Achilles injuries, but is hopeful of making a return to training sooner rather than later.

The Liverpool Echo reports that the defender will return to training in a month's time after spending a year out on the sidelines. The 19-year-old defender suffered a cruciate ligament injury while on international duty in October last year, which kept him out for the rest of the campaign. He was set to return to training with the first-team in July, but was diagnosed with tendinopathy in his Achilles, which will now see him return to training next month.

The England U21 international joined Liverpool from Charlton last summer, but suffered the injury just two months into the Premier League campaign. He made five appearances for the Reds, but all of those were under former manager Brendan Rodgers.

Gomez is yet to make an appearance under Jurgen Klopp, but it is believed that he is highly rated by the German coach and will be part of his first-team plans when he returns from injury. He is primarily a centre-back, but can also play at left-back, which is a problem area for the Merseyside club at the moment. James Milner is being deployed as a full-back after Alberto Moreno fell out of favour following a string of poor displays at the end of last campaign and the beginning of the current one.

However, the former Charlton defender is not expected to make a return to action anytime soon, as he will require intensive training after spending a year out on the sidelines. According to the report, the defender's knee problem is completely cured, but the Achilles injury is what requires further rehabilitation.