As the world’s most expensive footballer found out at Wembley on Tuesday night, Joe Gomez enjoys a challenge.

Aged just 20, Liverpool defender Gomez has already faced a number of potentially career-defining decisions and his long-term thinking could yet land him a place in England’s World Cup squad.

He could have joined Chelsea as a 15-year-old with his best friend Kasey Palmer, but chose to stay at Charlton Athletic. There were sleepless nights wondering if he had made the right decision as Palmer became a Uefa Youth League winner at Stamford Bridge, but Gomez wanted first-team football.

Charlton’s former academy manager Paul Hart promoted Gomez to the Under-18s when he was still aged 13 and helped to convince him to turn down a switch to Chelsea.

“We didn’t want to hold him back, but we explained we thought it would be beneficial to stay longer, learn his trade and try to get in the first team, and then go,” said Hart. “We had his mum and dad, and his agent along and they listened to what we said, trusted us and bought into it.”

A former defender himself, Hart brought through Jonathan Woodgate at Leeds United and Michael Dawson at Nottingham Forest, and also managed Des Walker at the City Ground.

“You try not to have favourites, but I was always very impressed with Joe,” said Hart. “But he wasn’t the finished article and to play as a centre-back, aerially he had to get better. You can be as good as you like, but you have to win your headers.

Charlton’s former academy manager Paul Hart also helped develop Jonathan Woodgate credit: getty images

“I remember telling Joe about Jonathan Woodgate, who missed a header from a corner in a game and I shouted ‘if you miss the next one, you’ll come and stand with me’. He smashed into the next header, got knocked out and had to go to hospital. I went with him and the first thing Jonathan asked when he came round was ‘did I head it?’ That physical and mental toughness is what I wanted to get into Joe and he took it on board.”

Bob Peeters was the Charlton manager who rewarded Gomez with his first-team debut as a 17-year-old and he went on to make 24 appearances for the Addicks by the end of the 2014/15 season, a full year before Palmer was named as an unused substitute by Chelsea for the first time.

The Blues were among the clubs, along with Arsenal, Red Bull Leipzig and Hoffenheim, who were battling to sign Gomez in the summer of 2015, but he opted for Liverpool because he was convinced he would receive first-team opportunities at Anfield.

But a cruciate ligament injury, suffered while playing for England’s Under-21s, and a change of manager during his first four months at Liverpool meant that it was a full year before Jurgen Klopp could even watch Gomez train.

Gomez has admitted there were dark days while he was out, particularly when he when he suffered a setback with his Achilles, but he finally played for Klopp 15 months after his initial injury against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup in January this year.

Gomez chose Liverpool over Arsenal because he saw a clearer path to the first team credit: Reuters

Having played twice more in the FA Cup last season, in the replay with Plymouth and the defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Gomez was asked to be part of Aidy Boothroyd’s England squad for this summer’s Under-21 European Championships.

But Gomez again put his long-term ambitions ahead of short-term gain and decided that he would be better served to spend an entire pre-season at Liverpool working with Klopp and trying to win a first-team place at his club.

He started in the Premier League for the first time under Klopp in August in a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace and then helped Liverpool to a thumping 4-0 win against Arsenal – keeping Alexis Sanchez quiet.

Just as Sanchez only lasted around an hour against Gomez before being taken off, Antony Martial was substituted after 65 fruitless minutes against the youngster in Liverpool’s goalless draw with Manchester United.

Sanchez, Martial and Neymar is not a bad list of forwards to have frustrated just 22 appearances into his Reds career and the £3.5million fee Liverpool paid for Gomez, thanks to a release clause in his contract, already looks like one of the biggest bargains of recent times.

Liverpool only had to fork out an extra £250,000 to Charlton as a result of Gomez’s first England start, which will not have bothered anyone watching him keep Brazil’s £200m star in his back pocket.

Hart, who is now assistant manager at League Two Luton Town, watched Gomez’s Wembley performance from his home in Nottingham.

Gomez kept Neymar quiet at Wembley on Tuesday credit: PA

“I’m just so impressed with the way he has coped with the injury and has come back even stronger,” said Hart. “He has always had a good head on his shoulders and has wanted to learn.

“With his ability, together with the way his character and how he handles himself, I can’t imagine any problems for Joe. I just think he will get better and better.”

Gomez stayed late into the night at Wembley to talk to those who had come to watch him, including family members, and thank those who have supported him.

He was also quick to recognise the fact that England manager Gareth Southgate had taken a chance on the likes of him and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the friendlies against Germany and Brazil.

“I had a relationship with Gareth from when he was the Under-21s coach and I know how good he is as a manager,” said Gomez. “He is great for young players like me, you can see how many opportunities he has given in just this squad alone so it has been great.

“I’m learning from all the backroom staff. It is a great effort that is put together to try and produce performances and now we have just got to try and build on it and keep the momentum going into the World Cup.”

Gomez certainly has momentum on his side.