Liverpool defender Joe Gomez handed England Under-21 captaincy to cap brilliant start to the season

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Joe Gomez has been named the new England Under-21 captain, a move that has put a gloss on his outstanding start to the season.

The Liverpool defender has put 18 months of injury misery behind him by appearing in three of his side’s first five matches; he helped them keep back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League and was Man-of-the-Match in Sunday’s 4-0 drubbing of Arsenal.

He has proven conclusively he is over the problems that stemmed from rupturing his cruciate ligament playing for the Under-21s against Kazakhstan in October 2015 and his decision to forego a place at this summer’s European Championships has been rewarded.

Joe Gomez has been named the new England Under-21 captain by Aidy Boothroyd

Gomez (left) closes down Ben Chilwell during England training on Wednesday

Gomez held talks with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Aidy Boothroyd, the Under-21s head coach, in May and explained that he needed a summer of rehabilitation and conditioning work rather than not doing himself justice at a major tournament.

Boothroyd was impressed by the way in which Gomez conducted himself through what was a difficult time and, allied to his ability, he feels there is nobody better placed to lead a new group through qualifying for Euro 2019 – England’s first game is in Holland on Friday.

‘He’s a senior player, he’s won at Under-17 level and he’s a little bit wiser than the other boys, what with having a long-term injury,’ said Boothroyd. ‘He has come through that and got into the Liverpool first team. It says a bit about him, I think.

‘He’s just one of those blokes who you think “I could be in the trenches with you”. He’s well respected in the group, so he is the one. I was really disappointed Joe couldn’t come in the summer but I totally understood why. It was just one of those things.

The 20-year-old closes down Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette during Sunday's victory

‘Getting injured playing for us and then coming through something like that, he’s certainly very mature but he coped with it very well and has come out of the other side. He’s a real good sort. He’s exactly what you’d want as a captain.’

Boothroyd, who has welcomed the addition of Lee Carsley to his coaching staff, was linked with positions at Preston and Hearts during the summer after taking the Under-21s to the semi-finals of Euro 2017, where they lost on penalties to Germany.

He is contracted, however, to the Football Association until the end of this campaign – the finals will be staged in Italy and San Marino – and says the chance to work with a group that compromises many of the players who won the Under-20 World Cup in June was impossible to leave.

‘Why would I want to leave here? It’s a really good job,’ said Boothroyd. ‘I’ve got really good players and I’m part of a system that’s trying to improve English football and we’re just at the start really so none of that is for me.’