Liverpool: Summer signing Joe Gomez could start against Stoke City clash says Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers has hinted summer signing Joe Gomez could start ahead of Alberto Moreno in Liverpool's opening fixture against Stoke City on 9 August.

The 18-year-old young defender arrived at Anfield from Charlton Athletic and has penned a long-term deal with the Reds. He is versatile, capable of playing as a centre-back or full-back.

The Merseyside club sealed a 2-0 victory over HJK Helsinki in Finland in the final pre-season fixture. The former Swansea manager started Gomez ahead of the Spain international and the England Under-19 international could get the nod ahead of Moreno against Stoke.

"I wouldn't have any issues [with playing him against Stoke]. You've seen from my time here that irrespective of the age of a player, it's about the quality and personality. Whether they are 17 or 27, if I think they are ready, I'll play them," Rodgers said, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

The Northern Irishman has also admitted that he has a huge task ahead of him deciding his centre-back pairing for the new season. He has the services of Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Dejan Lovren and Kolo Toure as first choice central defenders in the squad.

For the pre-season fixtures, Rodgers fielded Skrtel and Lovren as the centre-back, while Sakho was in Merseyside when they faced Helsinki on 1 August. The Croatian international was signed from Southampton last summer and has struggled in his debut season.

Liverpool were punished for the mistakes they made in the back four last season. Rodgers says it is important for him to pick a centre-back pair as he is looking for consistency in the heart of the defence in the 2015/16 season.

"It's not something I've totally decided upon yet. I'll sit down with the staff and we'll look at it next week. The key is getting consistency in that area of the field," Liverpool manager said.

"Your two centre-halves are critical. They are the tactical decision makers in the game. That balance is important for us this season. We had too many defensive changes last year and that's not something that I like. Hopefully this season we'll be more consistent as a back four."