Reports: Joe Gomez Suffers Suspected ACL Rupture, Faces Long Injury Layoff

Joe Gomez’s meteoric rise at Liverpool has crashed into a ceiling.

Gomez injured his knee Tuesday in England’s U-21 national team’s 3-0 win over Kazakhstan. England’s medical staff and Liverpool initially characterized Gomez’s injury as “a knock” and haven’t revealed the results of the MRI Gomez underwent yet, but Sky Sports and The Mail’s Dominic King reported Wednesday the 18-year-old defender damaged his ACL and could face six to nine months out of action.

Gomez surprisingly earned a place in Liverpool’s first team after moving to Anfield from Charlton Athletic last summer in a transfer worth £3.5 million ($5.4 million). He started the Reds’ first six games in all competitions under Brendan Rodgers before losing his spot in the starting lineup to Alberto Moreno amid a change of formation. He only played in one of the Reds’ five games since Sept. 20.

Jurgen Klopp replaced Rodgers as manager last week. Gomez was expected to continue his progress with Klopp and sustain the competition with Moreno and others, but he now could miss the bulk of the remainder of the Reds’ season.