Injury cloud hangs over Andoni Iraola’s first Liverpool win

Andoni Iraola’s first match in charge of Liverpool ended in a 4‑2 pre‑season victory over Sunderland in Nashville, but the win was immediately clouded by a serious setback as 29‑year‑old Joe Gomez was forced off after just ten minutes, leaving the Reds’ defence thin and the new manager under pressure.

Gomez, 29, left the field within ten minutes of Liverpool’s first friendly of the pre‑season after appearing to suffer a muscle issue. The injury forced his early exit and left the manager to adjust the defensive line on the fly.

The defender is Liverpool’s longest‑serving player. He has battled recurring injuries throughout his tenure at Anfield, limiting his availability over recent seasons.

Liverpool’s defensive options are now thin, with captain Virgil van Dijk still absent following the World Cup. This leaves the back line reliant on untested personnel.

New signing Jeremy Jacquet is still building fitness and is unlikely to feature until the final game of the pre‑season tour. Giovanni Leoni continues his recovery from an ACL injury sustained early last season.

“Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe,” Iraola said after the win. “We were happy because we were kind of going through all the training without losing any player. Unluckily for us, straight away we've lost Joe.”

Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa, Kieran Morrison and Lewis Koumas secured the 4‑2 win. Liverpool will be back in action against Wrexham on Thursday. Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch are set to begin training with the squad on Sunday.