• Gomez looked dejected as he was forced off early into the tie at Home Park
  • The defender had only just returned from a six-week spell on the sidelines
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By WILL CASTLE

Joe Gomez has been dealt yet another injury blow after being forced off just eight minutes into Liverpool’s FA Cup tie with Plymouth Argyle.

The defender, who was given captain duties for the contest at Home Park, had only just returned from a spell on the sidelines, recovering from a hamstring problem sustained against West Ham at the end of December.

However, he lasted only a fraction of the fourth round clash and will now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of his latest setback.

It’s unclear exactly what the issue was at this stage, with Slot expected to provide an initial update at full-time. 

Gomez was replaced by young right-back Isaac Mabaya, who himself has endured a tough time with injuries over the last year. The 20-year-old became the fourth academy graduate to debut under Slot.

Moving into an already youthful lineup, the change forced James McConnell into midfield while Wataru Endo dropped into centre-back to join Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas in the back line.

Joe Gomez looked dejected as he was forced off early into the FA Cup tie at Home Park

Gomez looks set for another spell on the sidelines, having only just returned from injury

Gomez looks set for another spell on the sidelines, having only just returned from injury 

Isaac Mabaya came on in the eighth minute to replace Gomez, making his Liverpool debut

Isaac Mabaya came on in the eighth minute to replace Gomez, making his Liverpool debut

Gomez’s withdrawal acts as a huge blow for Liverpool’s current longest-serving senior player, who appeared visibly dejected as he trudged off the field – on his first appearance since returning from a six-week absence.

He looks set to join Trent Alexander-Arnold on the treatment table, although the vice-captain’s thigh issue is less severe than originally thought, meaning he could be available for the Merseyside derby on Wednesday. 

Slot opted to rest a plethora of first-team players for the trip to Devon, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ibrahima Konate all left out of the squad to allow them to rest up for the Everton clash.

Caoimhin Kelleher was the only player to keep his place from the side that beat Tottenham 4-0 in midweek to reach the Carabao Cup final.

However, mass rotation came back to bite the Reds as Plymouth pulled off the upset of the FA Cup so far, with Ryan Hardie’s penalty proving the difference.

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Liverpool dealt fresh injury blow as Joe Gomez limps off inside 10 minutes against Plymouth – having only just recovered from hamstring issue

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