Gomez to miss start of season - but will it impact Liverpool's transfer plans?

Joe Gomez was taken off with muscle problem in a pre-season friendly against Sunderland; the Liverpool defender is expected to miss the Premier League opener against Newcastle, live on Sky Sports; Liverpool are light on centre-backs, but are not expected to sign a replacement

>Joe Gomez is expected to miss the start of Liverpool's Premier League campaign through injury - but it is not likely to impact the Reds' transfer plans.

>The defender was forced off early in the first half of Liverpool's friendly with Sunderland in Nashville last weekend due to a muscle problem.

>New Reds boss Andoni Iraola refused to put an exact timescale on Gomez's return but ruled him out of being back in time to face Newcastle on August 23, live on Sky Sports.

>"Joe has a muscle injury. I think it was quite clear since he complained straight away, so it will depend how he evolves, but he will be some weeks off," Iraola said.

>Asked for further detail on how long he expects to be without Gomez, the Liverpool head coach added: "It's a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put myself as one month.

>"If it goes very good the injury is a little bit less, if [not] it goes a little more. It's not massive, it's a normal muscle injury, [but] I think it's going to be impossible to have him for the start of the season because we are not so far [away]. It shouldn't be a lot more."

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>Analysis from Sky Sports News' Vinny O'Connor:

>Liverpool's transfer plans remain unaffected by Gomez's injury despite the lack of options currently available to Iraola.

>Their current priority is bringing in a wide forward - not a central defender - with Liverpool set to make a formal approach to PSG for Bradley Barcola.

>Gomez's injury is viewed as short-term, with Iraola anticipating he will not miss much more than their opening game against Newcastle.

>Virgil van Dijk returns from his post-World Cup break this week and will report to Liverpool's training base rather than travelling to the United States.

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>Giovanni Leoni is still rehabbing from an ACL injury he suffered early last season, while new signing Jeremey Jacquet is preparing to play his first game of pre-season against Leeds on Sunday after a long lay-off with a shoulder problem.

>Liverpool could realistically go into the start of the new season with only Van Dijk and Jacquet as their available senior options at centre-back.

>Iraola admitted in Thursday's press conference that Liverpool are currently thin on options at the back, but was positive about the performances of youngsters Luke Chambers, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Mor Talla Ndiaye, who have stepped in during pre-season.

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>"You have seen these games, we are pretty thin in the centre-back position," he said. "We still don't have Virgil. The only real centre-backs we have right now are Mor and Ify, who are 18 years old, just arrived to the club and they are doing incredibly well.

>"On Wednesday, Luke Chambers played there. He is not a centre-back but he played really well. We have to until we recover some bodies.

>"I think Jeremy is ready to go and we will recover Virgil, but I'm happy that playing against Sunderland, against Wrexham, good teams with 18-year-old centre-backs, the team has showed composure and solidity at the back and [that] speaks very well about them."

>PSG are getting closer to agreeing a deal with Monaco for Maghnes Akliouche. Negotiations are in the advanced stages.

>The winger market is starting to move, with Yan Diomande moving closer to Real Madrid and Liverpool preparing to bid for Barcola.

>Liverpool also made initial contact with Monaco about Akliouche - but a move for Barcola is anticipated since Sky Sports News broke that news on Wednesday.

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