It has been exactly seven months since Kaide Gordon was involved in a Liverpool matchday squad, despite no details being known about the winger’s long-term injury.
Midway through an excellent first full season at Anfield, in which he appeared four times and scored his debut goal for the senior team, Gordon suffered a series of setbacks.
Following an outbreak of COVID-19, the 17-year-old had a fitness issue, days after his record-setting strike in February, which ultimately ended his campaign early.
In May, the club bought a sell clause included in his £3m deal from Derby, as he rejoined the first-team squad for pre-season in a sign of Jurgen Klopp’s faith.
But after seven months out, Gordon has yet to participate in full training or a competitive match with Liverpool.
Bobby Clark, Layton Stewart, Melkamu Frauendorf and Harvey Blair have been the main options in the U21 attack in his absence this season.
And the Under-19s began their UEFA Youth League campaign with a 2-1 win over Napoli on Wednesday, with 16-year-old Ben Doak, a summer signing from Celtic, scoring and assisting in Gordon’s place at the Right side.
During LFCTV’s broadcast of that victory in Naples, commentator Steve Hunter explained that the club were simply being “careful” about the youngster’s rehabilitation.
The exact injury affecting Gordon is still unknown, but it is suggested that there is no main cause for his time on the sidelines, but rather a number of issues related to his physical development.
It’s not uncommon for young players, particularly those in attacking roles, to suffer from these growing pains, and exposure to high-intensity training sessions within Klopp’s first team certainly amplifies the problem for Gordon.
Something similar can be seen with Curtis Jones and Calvin Ramsay, who are still sidelined with shin and back injuries, respectively.
Gordon has already been photographed in the AXA Training Center gym on a number of occasions, and in August, GOAL’s Neil Jones claimed he would be back in a matter of weeks.
The deadline for his return has clearly been extended, but that shows that the club’s medical staff is not taking risks with a player highly appreciated by Klopp and his assistants.
When the winger returns, it is likely to be with the Under-21s and Under-19s first, having signed up as part of the 40-man squad for the UEFA Youth League.
