**Joe Gomez has joined Liverpool’s growing defensive casualty list.**
Gomez lined up for Andoni Iraola’s opening pre-season fixture as head coach in an eventual 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday night.
However the veteran centre-back, who was named captain at Geodis Park, lasted less than the opening 10 minutes before pulling up on the turf.
Athough Gomez was able to walk off unaided, it saw the Reds’ backline further diminished with Jeremy Jacquet already sidelined by a minor knock.
Ifeanyi Ndukwe replaced the 29-year-old and partnered fellow teenage summer arrival Mor Talla Ndiaye with Iraola’s side stretched for options.
“Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe,” admitted the Liverpool boss.
“We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we’ve lost Joe straight away.
“With Jeremy we decided to take it easy with him. He’s had a lot of months without playing and he’s been training very well.
“But we’re going to take it easy with him. He will play probably in the last game of this tour and he will have time to have minutes.”