Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has reflected on the impact of a ‘gruesome’ injury during his last England call-up nearly four years ago.

It was during a training session with England in November 2020 when Gomez injured the tendons in his knee. This led to a 10-month spell on the sidelines and almost a four-year absence from the Three Lions squad.

The 26-year-old branded this injury as ‘gruesome’ and is happy to put the incident behind him as he returns to the national team.

There were mixed feelings when Gomez arrived at St George’s Park. Speaking to the media before Saturday’s game with Brazil, he said: “We were doing an 11-versus-11 when I got the injury.

“It was unique, a patella tendon rupture. I was by myself. I just went to play a pass, I planted my foot and then it ruptured. It was quite gruesome. My knee cap was halfway up my leg and lot of it was a blur because it was a bit painful.

“The last time I saw Gareth I was on a bed waiting for the ambulance. From the outside looking in, nobody would realise but it [training on Tuesday] was a bit surreal. I prepared myself mentally to [be back out there] but I think, naturally, there was a bit of an underlying trauma that I can draw a line under.

“I would be lying if I said it did not have a psychological toll as I left here in an ambulance quite abruptly. Just doing the warm-up, it was nice to feel like I could close that chapter.”

Gomez returns to the England squad to feature in the March friendlies against Brazil and Belgium, where he will finally have the chance to stake a claim for a place in Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad.