Joe Gomez has said that he idolises former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who played for Liverpool FC’s arch-rivals for 14 years.

Gomez has impressed alongside Virgil van Dijk this season, with many noting his ball-playing ability a key attribute to his success.

His admission that he admires Ferdinand, a fellow ball-playing centre-half, may be mildly controversial but is certainly not a bad school of thought to follow.

He told the Metro: “I probably idolise Rio Ferdinand and so on but when it comes down to it, I’m still a defender and I’ve got to enjoy the art of defending.

“I want to do all I can to inherit both aspects and I’m still learning, and I want to study those players and even current ones as well.”

Gomez joined Liverpool FC in 2015 in a £3.5m deal from Charlton, yet his early career was heavily restricted by injury.

Originally deployed at right-back on Merseyside, injuries to Joël Matip and Dejan Lovren has seen Gomez start all four games so far this season at centre-half alongside van Dijk.

In that time, Liverpool FC have remarkably conceded just once, whilst taking maximum points as they sit atop the Premier League table.

Excellent performances have led to Gomez being called back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the matches with Spain and Switzerland.

Ferdinand made 81 appearances for England in a 14-year career, a feat which Gomez will hope to emulate.

Aged just 21, Gomez has already appeared three times for England, and will hope to go on to be as influential for his country as his idol.

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