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New Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been rocked by the news that Joe Gomez has suffered a suspected anterior cruciate ligament injury which could end his season.

The talented 18-year-old defender hurt his right knee in the closing stages of England Under-21s’ 3-0 victory over Kazakhstan at Coventry City on Tuesday night.

Initially, international medical staff were hopeful that the problem was only minor but on his return to Melwood on Wednesday the teenager’s worst fears were realised.

Scan results suggest there is extensive damage to his ACL and if confirmed he will be facing between six and nine months on the sidelines.

Gomez picked up the injury 10 minutes from time after an innocuous challenge near the corner flag and needed to be helped from the pitch.

It’s a crushing blow for the versatile youngster, who has proved a big hit at Liverpool since his summer move from Charlton Athletic for an initial fee of £3.5million.

An impressive pre-season under Brendan Rodgers resulted in him starting the first six games of the new campaign. He played at left-back before lining up in his favoured central role against both Bordeaux and FC Sion.

Klopp is a well-known admirer of Gomez with Borussia Dortmund having closely monitored his progress throughout last season.

However, the new Reds boss now faces the prospect of being without the young defender until next term.