Liverpool injury news: Andoni Iraola delivers 'worst news' as Reds suffer fresh defensive blow in Sunderland friendly win

Liverpool began the Andoni Iraola era with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Sunderland in a pre-season friendly at Nashville's GEODIS Park.

While there were plenty of positives for the new Reds boss to take from the performance, Iraola was left frustrated by an early injury to Joe Gomez.

Gomez was forced off after just eight minutes in Nashville, with Iraola admitting afterwards that the defender's setback represented the "worst news" for his side.

The England international has struggled with fitness issues over the past couple of seasons, and although he made 21 Premier League appearances last term, the majority came from the bench.

Liverpool injury update: Joe Gomez and Jeremy Jacquet

Jeremy Jacquet, who joined Liverpool from Rennes in a £55m deal earlier this summer, was withdrawn from the squad as a precaution shortly before kickoff.

The defender missed the second half of last season with a shoulder injury, although he is expected to feature in the final game of Liverpool's US tour.

“Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe,” admitted Iraola, as quoted by The Guardian.

“We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we’ve lost Joe straight away.”

Ifeanyi Ndukwe replaced Gomez and impressed alongside Mor Talla Ndiaye, while Calum Scanlon, Kieran Morrison and Lewis Koumas also caught the eye with encouraging displays.

Do Liverpool need to sell Joe Gomez?

Iraola has already acknowledged that Liverpool are light on defensive options following the departure of Ibrahima Konate, who completed a move to Real Madrid this summer.

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk will report for pre-season training next week, although he will not join the squad in the United States and is instead expected to continue working at the AXA Training Centre.

When fit, Gomez remains an immensely useful squad player due to his ability to operate across the backline, but his recurring fitness problems have become a significant concern, and Liverpool may consider cashing in should a suitable offer arrive.

Alongside the pursuit of another winger, recruiting one or two centre-backs should therefore be high on Liverpool's summer agenda, and a lack of meaningful movement in the market could understandably leave supporters increasingly restless.