Show caption Liverpool’s Joe Gomez feels he has to ‘keep growing, keep developing, and I don’t feel established in that sense’. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters England Joe Gomez: ‘Bobby Moore! I’m flattered but that’s a lot to live up to’ Liverpool defender is in top form but does not want people to get carried away as he bids to make his mark with England Dominic Fifield Wed 5 Sep 2018 17.30 EDT Share on Facebook

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Joe Gomez, clad in England training gear with national teammates dotted around the futsal hall at St George’s Park engrossed in their own interviews, shuffled uncomfortably in his seat when considering whether he belonged in this company.

He could have argued he would have been in Russia over the summer had he not succumbed to an untimely ankle injury that required surgery at the start of May and, in an instant, dashed hopes of involvement in the Champions League final and the World Cup.

He could have pointed to an impressive start to the season at Liverpool, and his contribution to the side’s immaculate record, as evidence he fits right in among World Cup semi-finalists. He might even have fallen back on one pundit’s wildly premature praise, that Gomez is “the nearest thing I have seen to Bobby Moore for years”, which provoked a smile betraying disbelief. “I wasn’t aware of that ...” he said, just letting the comparison sink in for a second. “Look, I’m obviously flattered by something like that but that’s a lot to live up to. I wouldn’t take that on my shoulders, I don’t think.”

Not yet, anyway. Not with only three caps and 30 Premier League starts. Instead, the call-up to Gareth Southgate’s first post-finals squad left Gomez thrilled. “For some of the lads, it’s expected they’ll be in. I still feel that sense of ... I can’t say a buzz, because everyone is buzzing to be in the squad, but that sense of excitement. I still feel like I have to keep growing, to keep developing, and I don’t feel established in that sense. Not yet. I’ve still got to keep progressing. There’s still a long way to go.”

There was a maturity to his comment that mirrored recent displays – calm, authoritative, always conscious of the bigger picture – even if Gomez may actually end up personifying the national team’s progress post‑Russia. He is the player to shake up things and keep those who established reputations at the tournament on their toes.

Southgate has long admired the 21-year-old and could not fail to be impressed with the way he has established himself alongside Virgil van Dijk. No one would raise an eyebrow if he was included in England’s back three for Saturday’s opening Nations League fixture against Spain at Wembley.

Yet selecting Gomez, England’s future at centre-half, would potentially have knock-on effects for two of those who had excelled in the summer. Kyle Walker, a natural full- or wing-back, has operated on the right of the national team’s back three since the friendlies in March. He offers pace and mobility aplenty, and is admirably attack-minded, but is not a natural fit. Walker had admitted as much before the squad’s departure for Russia.

The penalty he conceded to Tunisia in Volgograd provided further evidence: the defender’s positioning, facing his own goal as the cross flew in, was distinctly awkward and his flailing arm was penalised for catching Fakhreddine Ben Youssef. Others spied culpability as Ivan Perisic nipped in on his inside to score Croatia’s equaliser. Southgate intends to put his players through a rerun of the semi-final this week, with that incident sure to be dissected.

Gomez, who has operated in both full-back roles but is at home in the centre, would appear an obvious candidate to line up alongside Harry Maguire and John Stones in a back three, even if his admiration for Walker is clear. “He’s got everything that you’d want in a defender to do that role: so comfortable on the ball; very powerful; quick.” Yet, if Walker is pushed to right wing-back by Gomez’s inclusion, it would be Kieran Trippier, one of those heralded as a find of the tournament, whose position would be in jeopardy.

The Tottenham player arrived at St George’s Park ready to fight for his place. “I’m just delighted I’m even here,” Trippier said. “I’ll respect whatever decision the manager makes. You’ve got to keep impressing and training to show you should be starting.” The younger man’s philosophy will be the same, with Southgate appreciative of the increased competition as he seeks to push his team on to greater heights.

Gomez is a sponge for knowledge, pointing to what he can pick up from Walker here – “he’s had exposure to playing games at World Cup level, and it doesn’t get much better than that” – as well as Van Dijk back at his club. He sees every occasion as an opportunity. “In the Champions League final I was also watching Raphaël Varane and Sergio Ramos because they are two top defenders. Here, John Stones is someone who I admire for his confidence and his ability on the ball. I probably idolise Rio Ferdinand most but, when it comes down to it, I’m still a defender and I’ve got to enjoy the art of defending.

“I’m still young but I do want to impose my own ability so when I play I don’t want just to copy those guys. But you try to learn from different players to improve every aspect of your game. What this squad did in the summer gives us the opportunity to build on something. That’s what I want to be a part of, even if I have a long way to go.”