Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Joe Gomez “deserves” his England call-up

Liverpool [UK], March 15 (ANI): Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp believes that Joe Gomez “deserves” to get a call-up for the England team ahead of their upcoming FA Cup clash against Manchester United.

On Thursday, defender Joe Gomez received his first call-up for the Three Lions squad since 2020 for their upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley.

With 40 appearances to his name, Gomez would be looking to add more under his belt in the forthcoming fixtures.

Klopp expressed his delight in Gomez earning his recall to the England squad and said as quoted from the club’s official website.

“Joey deserves it, absolutely. What a season he played so far, he is absolutely exceptional. I said a lot of times, without the kids we are not where we are – and without Joey we would be definitely not where we are in the moment,” Klopp said.

With his versatility, the 26-year-old has been a crucial figure for Liverpool in defence throughout the campaign due to injuries to key players like Trent Alexander Arnold and Andrew Robertson.

His ability to slot in to play right back and even left back in certain stages of the game has been vital for Liverpool in keeping clean sheets and negating attacking threats from the opposition.

“He played so many different positions. Really happy for him and I saw on his face he was very happy about it as well. Good news. Now let’s play the game and he can go there and then he hopefully comes back healthy and he can play the rest of the season,” Klopp added.

Along with Gomez, West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen earned a recall ot the national team after four years. However, Bowen’s teammate Kalvin Phillips was snubbed from the 25-man squad.

Before Gomez links up with the England team for their match against Brazil on March 23 and Belgium on March 26, he will be a part of Liverpool’s squad for their FA Cup quarter-final clash against Manchester United on Sunday.

England squad:

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Man City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Man United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).