EXCLUSIVE: The defender's stellar rise has him 10th in Goal's 50 Best Players Under 18, and he is expected to continue his upward trajectory when he returns from injury

Seven years ago, Joe Gomez was in tears after being turned away from Charlton’s academy. He had to be comforted by mum Linda, who convinced him that one day he would play in the Premier League.



The Liverpool defender relied on the same source of support last October when a scan delivered distressing results: Gomez had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament which signalled the end of his season. In-between those two low points, the Catford-born teenager has enjoyed a stellar rise, which sees him secure 10th spot in Goal’s 50 Best Players Under 18 rankings.



Firstly thanks to everyone and all the fans @cafcofficial thankful for all the support over the past 7 years. Delighted to be joining @liverpoolfc ... A dream come true for me. Looking forward to working hard and getting started there!! Thanks to @keysportsmanagement ... #LFC A photo posted by Joe Gomez (@joegomez5) onJun 20, 2015 at 4:29am PDT

AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

At 6 foot 4, Joe Gomez does not look 18. He started this season - his first in the Premier League - as a left-back, a position he’d hardly played, but his youth proved no hindrance. And when he sits down for this exclusive with Goal in an office at Melwood sandwiched between the Players’ Walk, which leads to the dressing room, and the expansive workout area, he certainly does not speak like someone born in the era of Hanson and the Spice Girls.

“To be fair, my mum and my girlfriend are always reminding me that I’m only 18,” Gomez admits.

“I don’t see that because I compare myself to the people around me. So, for example [Martin] Skrtel, he’s been playing centre-back in the Premier League for years now and that’s what I’d like to do, so I don’t think about my age as much as I think about what I want to achieve.

“I don’t think of it like ‘oh, he’s 31, I’m just 18’ and I suppose it’s helped me so far because sometimes you can limit yourself if you’re focused on how young you are.”

MOVING ON UP

Gomez often needs to be reminded of all he’s already achieved as well, given how rapidly his career has developed. Last season marked his first as a professional footballer and he featured 24 times for Charlton in all competitions, with both Arsenal and Liverpool alerted to his positional intelligence, speed and expertise across defence.

It was the Merseysiders that recruited the gifted youngster, who grew up supporting Arsene Wenger’s side, for £3.5m in June last year.

“It’s been a weird but incredible time really, because even at Charlton my rise was so quick,” he explains. “I was playing Under-18s [2013/14], then in pre-season last year was promoted to training with the first team and that was surprising enough.

“As the season progressed, I played more and more games and by the end of it, it looked like I was going to get the opportunity to join Liverpool. It all happened so fast that I didn’t even get the chance to stop and think about it, to take it all in.”





Gomez, who has represented England at all youth levels and was named in the Team of the Tournament at the European Under-17 Championship in 2014, made an immediate impression on former manager Brendan Rodgers during the club’s pre-season tour. Liverpool were weighing up whether to send him out on loan to gain experience but after Gomez’s authoritative displays as a left full-back during the friendlies, the Northern Irishman declared: “he’ll be staying, he’ll get games.”

Rodgers started the athletic defender from south London in the first five league fixtures of the season, which included difficult trips to the Britannia Stadium, Old Trafford and the Emirates.

“Moving to Liverpool, I saw it as an opportunity to play in years to come for one of the top teams in the league, but I didn’t expect to be starting straight away,” Gomez admits.

“I just wanted to learn from the other players, develop, improve myself as much as possible, but I wasn’t thinking of being in the team immediately.

“When it happened, I was obviously very happy, but also aware that I needed to raise my level and push myself more.”





It wasn’t just the backroom staff who were instantly wowed by this towering youth. Liverpool supporters were equally enthused. “I think because I came from Charlton, not a lot of people knew me or expected anything much from me to start with,” Gomez admits.

“That worked in my favour. When I got games in pre-season, the support was overwhelming. I’ve got Twitter and stuff so I was taken aback by all the messages from fans telling me they were impressed with me and couldn’t wait to see more.

“Then I started the first few games of the season and there were good moments and also tough ones that help build experience, but it was nice that supporters took to me.”

THE ABC OF HIS ACL INJURY

Gomez’s dazzling start to life on Merseyside took a cruel twist in mid-October, at the worst possible time. Jurgen Klopp had been named as Rodgers’ successor during the international break, with the starlet away on England Under-21 duty. He was aware his new manager would be watching the encounter against Kazakhstan, which featured fellow Liverpool youngster Jordon Ibe.

However, with 10 minutes remaining in a 3-0 victory for his side, Gomez had to be helped off the pitch following an innocuous challenge. Initial thoughts were that the injury to his right knee was minor, but a scan crushed such hope.



“Even though I’ve been playing for a while, my career is still quite new so I’ve never had an injury from impact,” Gomez details.

“I felt pain, then thought it wasn't too bad, but could tell there was a problem. When I was going for the scan, I didn’t think it was anything major, I thought it was just a bruise. Once you find out that it’s something so serious, I was just in complete shock.

“I spoke to mum and I was just down for a long period of time. The mental aspect was the worst because for weeks you try to come to terms with not being able to play, which is really difficult and gutting because you just dwell on it.”

The first time Gomez interacted with Klopp was after receiving the harrowing results of his screening. “It [the German becoming Liverpool manager] was just announced one or two days before the U21s game and me and Jordon [Ibe] were saying we can’t wait to get back to see what he’s like.

“We were excited. We also thought he’d be watching our game and we both wanted to put on a good show, then the injury happened. The first time I actually met the manager was when I came back from my scan and found out I’d done my ACL.

“It obviously wasn’t the way I thought I’d first talk to him, or how I wanted to it to be, but I think this setback and the timing has helped me become stronger.”

COOLING OFF WITH KLOPP

The findings of the scan were softened by Gomez’s interaction with the charismatic former Borussia Dortmund manager. “He spoke to me straight away and said he likes my playing style, that he knows I can play across the back, that he was really sad about the injury but I’m young so have a lot of time to make up for these months of not playing,” the multi-functional defender explained.

“He said in terms of the physical side, obviously the physios and medical team will help me out, but that his door is always open if I need to talk to him about anything. Apart from that, the message has just been about me getting my head down, doing my bit in the gym, watching our games and learning as much as I can from the outside looking in.

“The way he is... it also makes the fact that I’m injured easier because he is so full of positive energy, is welcoming and is just brilliant with us. You know he's there for you.”

COMING BACK BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER

Watching his team-mates from a distance has been devastating for Gomez, especially during the club’s recent injury crisis. The game has been the 18-year-old’s ultimate solace. “Football has always been what I wanted to do, it’s always been in my head, I’ve never thought about doing anything else,” he says.





“My friends and people back home always ask ‘do you feel like you’ve made it?’ and I absolutely do not. There’s so much to achieve, so many things to improve and to challenge myself with. I didn’t feel like I made it when I joined Charlton’s first team or when I made my first start for Liverpool.

“Even though playing football is what I’ve wanted to do, and I have the chance to do so, I can’t get comfortable. My mind at the moment is completely focused on fighting back strong and hard after this injury, making sure I’m sharper and ready to contribute to the team again.”

Gomez points to a previous setback as he overcomes his current one. “When I was around 11, I first when on trial with Charlton. I went from playing for a Sunday League team to try out for them and I didn’t make it into their academy,” he reveals.

“I was so emotional, I went home and cried and told my mum I don’t want to go back there. At that age, it feels like it’s the end of the world. They called me back a few months later, and I’ve never let an opportunity slip since.”

When Gomez makes his Liverpool return, he’ll be happy to operate wherever Klopp wants him to. The manager has often referred to him when listing options at the heart of defence, and that position is the teenager’s end game.

“I don’t care how old I am, I want to play as a centre-back in the Premier League - that’s my aim.”