Joe Gomez Frustrated by Lack of Playing Time, Vows to 'Keep Working Hard'

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has expressed his frustration at a lack of playing time early in the season, but he also understands why he's spending so much time on the bench and will continue to work hard.

Per Goal's Sam France, the youngster was asked about Gareth Southgate's decision not to call him up during the most recent international break. 

Gomez said he understands England internationals need to be playing regularly:

"I cannot blame him. He speaks to me and is a great manager, but I have to understand that I have to play for my club like other players are. If you meet up with England you are expected to be playing, so I have to keep working hard.

"Every footballer wants to be playing. It's frustrating for me. At the same time, I understand we are the European champions and the lads are doing well at the minute. Credit to them. All I can do is keep my head down and keep working hard."

Thanassis Stavrakis/Associated Press

The 22-year-old has made just one Premier League start so far this season and was in the team for the 2-0 win over MK Dons in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk have been the regular starters in the Premier League, where the Reds maintain a perfect record after six matches. Liverpool have only conceded five goals, tied with Leicester City for the best mark in the division.

Gomez has experience as a full-back on either wing, but his best position is in the heart of the defence.

An athletic and strong defender, he also has remarkable technical ability for a centre-back, and he showed off his dead-ball ability earlier this month:

Gomez believes the busy schedule will provide more opportunities to play:

"The further we go, it's self-explanatory, the more we will play so we have to treat it like that and are hopeful our hunger can replicate that.

"You have got to be there every day in training and keep positive because you want to do yourself justice when the time comes.

"If you don't put in the same practice every day in training with the same attitude, you are only doing yourself harm when it comes to your time to play so I have just got to keep doing that every day, keep working. I've got a great set of lads to learn from.

"Obviously Virgil and Joel, me and Dej [Lovren] keep pushing each other as well, it is part of being at Liverpool. I think that was the attitude of everyone [against MK Dons], it's not just another game and all the lads are at home resting. It's a serious competition, we want to go as far as we can."

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The Reds face a tough stretch of matches in October, with Salzburg, Leicester, Manchester United, Genk, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal all coming up. With little time in between crucial outings in the Premier League, Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League, manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to use his depth and rely on the likes of Gomez.

That means more minutes should be on the horizon for the former Charlton man, who made 21 Premier League starts in the 2017-18 campaign but was held back by an ankle injury last season.