A STUTTGART winger was rushed to hospital with a broken elbow following a barge from Liverpool’s Joe Gomez yesterday.
Erik Tommy, 26, underwent surgery last night but now faces a lengthy spell out ahead of the new season.
The freak injury occurred on the half-hour mark of the pre-season friendly which was staged in Austria on Saturday.
Gomez, 23, and Thommy, 26, tussled for the ball after Pascal Stenzel’s pass down the left wing.
But with Thommy just in front, the England defender gave him a forceful shove in the back which sent him down.
And due to the horrendous rainy weather, the wide man – who spent last season on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf – slid rapidly into the advertising hoardings.
The impact caused a mighty crash before Thommy writhed on the side of the pitch in agony with his left elbow cracked before being taken for checks and operated on.
And now Stuttgart boss Pellegrino Matarazzo will be without the German for “several weeks”, the club confirmed.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners as Roberto Firmino, Naby Keita and substitute Rhian Brewster scored.
It was virtually a full-strength XI for the Premier League champions with the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Firmino all starting.
But the match came at a heavy cost for the Bundesliga outfit as another player, Roberto Massimo, limped off with a left ankle injury and will be assessed.
Stuttgart – back in the top flight following promotion last term – will play three more friendlies before they begin their season on September 11 against third-division Hansa in the DFB Pokal Cup.
Liverpool, meanwhile, begin their title defence with a home clash against newly-promoted Leeds.
