For Joe Gomez, the memories came rushing back. The suffering. The plight. the view of his thigh halfway up his kneecap.

Gomez anticipated he would receive his first call-up to the national team last week when England manager Gareth Southgate handed the Liverpool defender his first in four years.

It appeared as though he was going back to the crime scene. Because Gomez left St George’s Park in an ambulance following a bizarre knee injury he sustained during training the last time he was there on international duty.

You might thus pardon the adaptable defender for getting a little emotional when he took the field for training.

“It is surreal because I wanted to be back in the mix for a good portion of those four years, which is quite a long time,” Gomez said.

Joe Gomez has opened up on his return to St George’s Park four years after his freak injury

Gomez has received his first England call-up since leaving the training ground in an ambulance

His good form for Liverpool has earnt him a return to international football under Southgate

“I would be lying if I said that it did not have a psychological impact because I had to leave here quickly in an ambulance.” It has great meaning for me.

“I think there was a bit of an underlying trauma that I can now draw a line under, but I think that was just natural.”

Not to go too dramatic, but it felt good to feel like I could finish the chapter even just by performing the warm-up.

Everyone gets hurt; it’s a fact of life in the business, but dealing with an injury that happened so quickly and never having a chance to recover was difficult. Being in the mix, with the boys, and closing that chapter has thus meant a lot to me. I simply went to play a pass, as I recall. It was quite gory when my foot burst when I planted it. My leg was halfway up my kneecap.

It was a little unpleasant, so a lot of it is a haze.

From that point on, it played a significant role in my life and was perhaps the most difficult period of my professional life due to the circumstances surrounding it.

“I was waiting for the ambulance on the bed the last time I saw Gareth.” It was difficult, but I wouldn’t avoid it because it was a significant part of my trip.

I’ve gone past it, and working throughout that time to get back motivated me and made up a significant portion of my application. That has helped to shape who I am, therefore I don’t want to lose that.

He said the last time he saw Southgate (right) was when he was waiting for an ambulance

Gomez has been playing fantastically for a Liverpool team that still has a chance to win three trophies this season.

However, this is not the only foreign setback he has had to bounce back from. at 2019, days after his notorious altercation with Raheem Sterling at the St George’s Park canteen, the defender was jeered by England supporters during a match against Montenegro.

Although Sterling was once considered England’s golden kid, his lackluster performance for Chelsea has resulted in his exclusion from the England team once more.

Gomez continued, “It was a test.” That is the last thing you want to happen to your own audience. I’ve moved on from that situation a long time ago.

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He said ‘there was a bit of an underlying trauma’ upon his return to the England camp this week

Gomez also opened up on being booed by his own supporters against Montenegro following a clash with Raheem Sterling (left)

‘I understood. I didn’t delve too deeply into it or let it consume me too much. I understood. It wasn’t great, obviously, I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But it is what it is. Part of football.

‘I am looking forward to getting back in front of the fans and playing. Wembley is such a special stadium, playing cup finals and so on, every time is special.’