Joe Gomez believes he could truly unlock his potential as a centre-back and says Jurgen Klopp is willing to give him a chance in the heart of the defence.
In the absence of Nathaniel Clyne, Gomez has been used as a right-back to great effect, earning a maiden England call-up from Gareth Southgate.
With a struggling Dejan Lovren and error-prone Ragnar Klavan currently battling for the spot alongside Joel Matip, there have been calls to move Gomez into the centre of defence.
And the 20-year-old sees himself playing as a centre-back for most of his career.
“Ideally I want to end up as a centre-back,” he admitted. “That’s where I think I can progress the most and develop to be the best I can be.
“But I enjoy playing at full-back and it’s helped me with my development to this point.
“For me being a young player getting regular games, regardless of the position, I’m just happy to be able to learn.
“But I do see myself moving inside towards centre-half and hopefully playing most of my career there.”
Gomez says manager Jurgen Klopp shares this view but is confident he could adapt to an alternative role.
“Yes, I believe so,” he said when asked if the manager saw him as a centre-half in the long term. “I think with injuries opportunities have come to play at full-back.
“But while I’m here I will just focus on wherever the manager wants me to play.
“I’m happy to play wherever, whether it’s full back or centre half. I will adapt to whatever he wants and I’m happy to do so.”
Gomez may, however, face a significant wait to play in his desired position after Clyne recently suffered a setback in his recovery.
