LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, December 29, 2024: Liverpool's Joe Gomez walks off with an injury during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Joe Gomez suffers injury scare to join 2 absent Liverpool defenders

Joe Gomez was forced off in the first half of Liverpool’s clash with West Ham, with the defender joining Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley as fitness concerns.

Gomez made his eighth consecutive start in the Reds’ trip to east London, but could not see out the first half as he picked up an injury.

The versatile defender – Virgil van Dijk‘s partner at centre-back in the absence of Konate – pulled his hamstring in a routine challenge by the touchline.

• West Ham vs. Liverpool – Follow live here!

He was treated by physios after sensibly dropping to the turf, with Arne Slot wasting no time in replacing him with Jarell Quansah.

Liverpool went 3-0 up before the interval through goals from Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, but Slot will have held a concern over his departed No. 2.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, December 29, 2024: Liverpool's Joe Gomez walks off with an injury during the FA Premier League match between West Ham United FC and Liverpool FC at the London Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The extent of Gomez’s injury remains to be seen and the hope will be that his early withdrawal has avoided any risk of a serious issue.

But with both Konate and Bradley already out with long-term knee and hamstring injuries respectively it could be a costly blow for Liverpool.

Speaking before the trip to West Ham, Slot suggested Konate and Bradley could soon return to fitness, though he stressed that, in an ideal world, the pair would be eased back in.

“They will not be back for West Ham, but then there’s a week in between, so let’s see how close they are then,” he told reporters when asked if they could be fit for the visit of Man United on January 5.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 14, 2024: Liverpool's Ibrahima Konaté during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Fulham FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“It’s difficult for me to tell you at this moment, because they don’t train with the group yet.

“But hopefully in the upcoming days they come closer to that situation.

“Ibou has been out for five, six weeks maybe, Conor just as long, and also for them they are in competition with players who are completely fit and are doing really well.

“I have to make the right judgement the moment they are back with the team.”

Gomez has been fit for every game so far this season, featuring 16 times, only missing the opening game at Ipswich amid speculation over a transfer.