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Joe Gomez has enjoyed a month to cherish.

The Liverpool youngster has put the injury heartache of last season firmly behind him with a string of commanding defensive displays.

The 21-year-old centre-back has starred alongside Virgil van Dijk as the Reds have made their best start to a campaign since 1990 and his club form was rewarded with a fourth England cap against Spain last weekend.

Steve Avory has been watching his progress with interest. Charlton Athletic's long-serving Academy manager has known Gomez for more than a decade.

He insists there is no danger of him getting carried away with all the plaudits he's being showered with ahead of Saturday's return to Premier League action against Tottenham at Wembley.

“Joe is the ultimate professional,” said Avory on a special ECHO podcast.

“He's always been an individual who finds a way to meet the next challenge and gets his head around it.

“He's a very level-headed and mature individual with his feet firmly on the ground – he's been kept that way by his family. He thinks things out for himself, both on and off the pitch.

“I'm delighted to see him playing centre-back this season because I've always thought that was his position. That partnership (with Van Dijk) seems to be developing at Liverpool and looks very encouraging for Joe.

“To be playing alongside someone who is so experienced and of that quality has to help and he's got his chance for England as well.”

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Avory was Charlton's assistant Academy manager when he first spotted Catford-born Gomez playing at the age of eight.

“We didn't sign him initially as we thought he probably needed a year or so in the development centre we ran at that time in Lewisham close to where he lived,” he revealed.

“He was actually a bit heavy on his feet. He didn't move as well as the Rolls-Royce he is now. We ended up signing Joe to the Academy as an under-10.

“He was a well built lad for his age and not short on ability so we thought it was worthwhile signing him. We never looked back and neither did Joe.”

Listen to the podcast in full below:

Gomez, who was in the same year group as Chelsea's Kasey Palmer, rose up the ranks quickly. He was still in the under-15s when he was promoted to play for the Addicks' under-18s.

He was just 17 when Charlton boss Bob Peeters gave him his senior debut against Colchester United in August 2014.

“Joe was still a scholar at the time,” recalled Avory.

“We wondered how he would cope but he took it all in his stride.

“Kasey left to go to Chelsea at 16 and you wondered whether Joe might get his head turned too. But his father Gus believed in our culture and what we were doing. He wanted Joe to see that development through with us.

“You want parents to buy into your expectations and your values and Joe's did that from day one.”

The big move arrived in the summer of 2015 when Liverpool agreed a £3.5million fee with Charlton potentially rising to £6million.

Gomez was thrown straight in by Brendan Rodgers as he started the season at left-back.

“I didn't recall ever seeing him play there before,” Avory said.

“I'd only seen Joe at right-back and centre-back. That was one hell of a challenge but he's always found a way to cope.

“He's always worked so hard on the technical aspect. Physically, he's always been big for his age and very quick – that's certainly an asset at the top level.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“When he went to Liverpool, Brendan was in charge and I felt he was going to the right man as he was a manager who had worked in youth development at Chelsea. I don't know Jurgen Klopp but he seems to have the same belief in young players.”

Mental strength is also a quality that has served Gomez well. Within days of Jurgen Klopp taking over in October 2015 he ruptured his ACL playing for England Under-21s.

When he was closing in on a return to action a serious Achilles injury put him back on the treatment table. Gomez went 15 months without making a first-team appearance before making his comeback in January 2017.

Last season he clocked up 31 games for the Reds but suffered the agony of missing out on the Champions League final and the World Cup after undergoing ankle surgery in early May.

“He has a way of dealing with adversity,” Avory added.

“He copes with it well, he gets his head around it and does his rehab in the correct way. I'm sure he's had a lot of support from the right people at Liverpool.

“I've only seen him play live for Liverpool once and that was at Arsenal last season when I went with his father.

“In the first half he did well against Alexis Sanchez but in the second half he was undone for one of the goals.

“I remember having a text conversation with him after the game. It was typical of Joe that he realised there was lots more to learn.”

Avory, a former PE teacher who taught England boss Gareth Southgate in the 1980s, has made Charlton's Academy one of the most successful in the country since he joined the club back in 2001. Gomez is a source of inspiration for those looking to follow in his footsteps.

“I was actually in touch with Joe's father Gus at the weekend,” he added.

“They still live in Catford where Joe was brought up. I wanted to speak to him about a presentation I was delivering to our Academy parents about values and wanting parents to buy into them.

“Gus talked about trying to keep Joe level-headed and humble. I don't think Joe will ever forget his roots.

“I remember seeing him at the start of last season. When he had a few days off he came down to watch our under-23s.

“It was like nothing had changed. He has strong family values behind him.”