Liverpool confirms Gomez requires surgery

Liverpool center back Joe Gomez will undergo surgery to repair his broken leg in order to ensure “a more complete recovery,” leaving the Reds without their 21-year-old center back for much, if not all of the season.

[ PL PREVIEW: West Ham v. Liverpool ]

Gomez was initially expected to miss a month-and-a-half following a tackle from Burnley’s Ben Mee which left the Clarets defender defending the incident as “unfortunate” but “part of the game.”

Here’s Gomez, via LiverpoolFC.com:

“Obviously being out for longer than we’d first hoped for is hard to swallow but it’s part and parcel of the industry. It was an injury caused by an impact, like nearly all the injuries I’ve had in my career, so I know it’s just a case of when it’s fully healed I’m good to go again.”

He signed a new long-term deal days after the injury.

Dejan Lovren remains out of the lineup, while Virgil van Dijk is battling a minor injury. Joel Matip is healthy, and Fabinho has deputized at center back for the Reds.

Liverpool faces West Ham at 3 p.m. ET Monday on NBCSN (Watch online via NBCSports.com).

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