Liverpool: Joe Gomez injury overshadows winning start for Andoni Iraola
Liverpool secured a 4-2 victory over Sunderland in their pre-season tour of the USA, but the win was marred by an early injury to captain Joe Gomez. Manager Andoni Iraola expressed concern over the team's thin defensive depth as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Why it matters
The injury highlights immediate squad management challenges for Liverpool's new management team during a critical pre-season period.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Both Dominik Szoboszlai and Federico Chiesa scored for Liverpool in Nashville
Football reporter , At Nashville Published 26 July 2026, 07:25 BST Liverpool started life under Andoni Iraola with a 4-2 win over Sunderland thanks to goals from Kieran Morrison, Dominik Szoboszlai, Federico Chiesa and Lewis Koumas.
But the Iraola era had initially got off to the worst possible start when Joe Gomez, who started the game as centre-back and captain, went down injured and was taken off in the eighth minute.
"Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe. We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we've lost Joe straight away," said Iraola, who was also without new signing Jeremy Jacquet - who plays centre-half - for the opening friendly of Liverpool 's tour of the USA.
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