Kaide Gordon has not been involved for Liverpool since February, and under-21s coach Barry Lewtas has confirmed the winger is still not ready to return.
It was the first weekend of February that Gordon was last on the pitch for the Reds, substitute as the first team beat Cardiff in the FA Cup before playing 90 minutes as the U21s lost at Leeds.
Since then, the teenager has been sidelined with a series of issues, with his long-term injury coming in the pelvic region.
While Jurgen Klopp has kept his No. 49 involved in first-team activities whenever possible, patience has been required when it comes to his inclusion in training.
And speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Lewtas has revealed that Gordon is not due back until 2023, with Liverpool seeing the World Cup break as a positive.
“Kaide’s been unfortunate with a long-term injury,” he explained.
“He’s another unbelievably young boy. He’s still [eligible as] an under-18 which is crazy.
“You have to be careful with certain injuries because there is a long-term plan there as well.
“He’s still here. He’s still smiling in the corridors. I still love bumping into Kaide because he’s a good kid.
“He’s been out for a bit, it’s just small steps with him at the minute.
“One beauty for us is the World Cup being at an unusual time. Our season stops on November 9 and we don’t restart until January.
“Hopefully it may give the lads who we’ve got injured, like Kaide, the opportunity to work their way back.”
Gordon finds himself in a similar situation, then, to Luis Diaz, whose knee injury has ruled him out of the World Cup with an expected return date soon after.
Whether the 18-year-old will be back in action with the U21s upon the restart – they take on Tottenham on January 8 – remains to be seen, however.
Either way, he is facing nearly an entire year on the sidelines, with the injury coming as a result of his natural development, still growing as a young footballer.
The hope will be that Liverpool’s steady approach to his rehabilitation eventually strengthens Gordon in the future, but all parties will be frustrated at the lost time after such a bright start.
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