"He is a rare talent" - Garth Crooks on Liverpool defender
Pundit Garth Crooks praised Joe Gomez's versatility after Liverpool's 2-0 win over Watford at Anfield last weekend.
The Englishman is a centre-back by trade. But, Gomez played at right-back against Watford for 90 minutes.
The 24-year-old performed well during the Premier League clash. Gomez registered an assist and a WhoScored player rating of 7.72 against the Hornets.
With that being the case, Crooks had plenty of good things to say about the defender post-match.
As quoted by Anfield Watch's Twitter account, the pundit told the BBC the following: “There are very few English defenders who can play anywhere across the back four but Gomez can. He is a rare talent and on his day quite brilliant.”
Anfield Watch Verdict
Gomez is a very good footballer. As Crooks said, the Englishman can play anywhere in defence. Versatility is not a trait that every player possesses.
Unfortunately, Gomez has been linked with a move away from Anfield due to a lack of opportunities.
The 24-year-old is behind the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson for a place in Liverpool's back four.
The only reason Gomez played against Watford last weekend was due to Alexander-Arnold's unavailability (injury).
Despite being fit for the entire 2021-22 campaign, he has only made 16 appearances for Liverpool's first-team.
We do hope that Gomez hangs around, as he is a quality player. But, if he doesn't start getting more game time, we could see him engineering a move away from Anfield.
Gomez is about to enter his prime years as a footballer. We highly doubt that he wants to sit around and wait until an injury occurs or someone departs.
Hopefully Gomez hangs around. Only time will tell where his long-term future lies.