NASHVILLE -- Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has admitted losing defender Joe Gomez to injury in Saturday's 4-2 preseason victory over Sunderland is "the worst news," but has backed new signing Jérémy Jacquet to feature during the club's tour of the United States.
Jacquet, who joined the club this summer in a £55 million move from Rennes, was ruled of Liverpool's win as a precautionary measure before kick-off after missing the second half of last season with a shoulder injury. However, the Reds now face an anxious wait to discover the severity of the problem picked up by Gomez, who was forced off inside just eight minutes in Nashville.
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"Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe," Iraola told LFCTV after the game. "We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we've lost Joe straight away.
"With Jeremy we decided to take it easy with him, he's had a lot of months without playing, he's been training very well, but we're going to take it easy with him. He will play probably in the last game of this U.S. tour, he will have time to have minutes, but we were kind of happy, but we've lost one now."
At a news conference in Chicago earlier this week, Iraola acknowledged that Liverpool's defence is "very thin," with Ibrahima Konaté having left the club on a free transfer to Real Madrid this summer. Meanwhile, center back Giovanni Leoni is still working his way back to fitness after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) last September.
Captain Virgil van Dijk will report for preseason training next week however he won't join Liverpool in the United States, instead beginning his training regime at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby.