Joe Gomez tipped to make Liverpool bench at Middlesbrough

A strong half for #LFCU23s – and for Joe Gomez! He's now being brought off for Whelan at the break… pic.twitter.com/q1CuOgG7XI

— LFCTV (@LFCTV) December 12, 2016

The 19-year-old is building his match fitness after being out of action since October 2015 with a serious knee injury.

He played for another 45 minutes in tonight’s under-23 fixture against Arsenal. Gomez was withdrawn at half-time and replaced by Corey Whelan in what was reportedly a planned change.

With Dejan Lovren currently carrying an injury, Gomez could be named in the squad for the trip to the Riverside Stadium.