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Rio Ferdinand has told FootballJOE that Joe Gomez has "all the attributes to be a top player".

What did he say?

There are very few Premier League defenders who have enjoyed more success than Ferdinand. The former Manchester United, Leeds, West Ham and QPR centre-back won the Premier League six times at Old Trafford, and also lifted the Champions League.

Gomez, meanwhile, is still towards the start of his career. Ferdinand, though, is confident that he can make it to the top. He said: "Listen, Joe Gomez is going through a sticky patch at the moment but young players have to understand that they’re going to get that.

"Even for the elite players that make it, there’s going to be down times and negative times in their career. Can you deal with it?

"Have you got the mental capacity, have you got the tools to deal with these type of things?

"Gomez is going through that now but he has all the attributes to be a top player.

"He’s shown over good periods of his career at Liverpool that he looks a top player that can come in, in a few years."

Needs to kick on

It has been a difficult last week or so for the 22-year-old. During the Reds' victory over Manchester City, he clashed with Raheem Sterling, which led to a major incident in the England camp between the two. Whilst Sterling was dropped for the Three Lions' match against Montenegro as a result, the former Charlton defender was booed when he entered the fray in the second half. He was said to be "devastated" after the match.

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The centre-back has struggled with a number of injuries already in his short career, spending time on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament problem as well as Achilles and ankle issues. Still, he has managed 48 Premier League appearances and has seven caps for country.

It is time for the defender to kick on. Whilst Virgil van Dijk has one of the two centre-back spots nailed down, the place alongside him is up for grabs. Joel Matip has started seven times this term in the league, but that is only a follow-on from 22 appearances last season, and Dejan Lovren has played in four fixtures in top flight out of a possible 12.

Gomez, though, has just one start in the top tier this campaign, and looks to be behind the other two in the pecking order at Anfield.

Yes, this is a difficult period for him, but most top players go through such spells. Ferdinand, for example, missed eight months of action after missing a drugs test, yet still remained a regular for Sir Alex Ferguson's side upon his return. The way Gomez, who is now rated at £31.5m, reacts to this adversity will shape him as a player.

If he reacts strongly, then he could become a Reds stalwart for years to come. On the other hand, though, he could fall by the wayside without as much as a whimper. The choice is down to him.