The UEFA European Championships will see a number of Liverpool first-team players hoping to make a major impact for their respective nations in the quest to achieve international glory at the biggest stage of them all across the continent.
While Liverpool’s representation at the month-long tournament has been weakened due to the numerous injury troubles at Anfield over the past year, a fair chunk of the Reds will be seen partaking in this summer’s mega event.
Here are 5 Liverpool players who are backed to perform at the highest level for their countries-
1. Jordan Henderson
The skipper of the Merseyside Reds has not featured on the pitch since February after pulling his groin in the derby defeat to Everton but Henderson was still picked by England boss Gareth Southgate considering his vast influence amongst the Three Lions ranks.
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Henderson did not play the opening group stage fixture against Croatia but will be a part of Southgate’s plans going forward in the tournament despite the Reds man facing stiff competition for the midfield spots from Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice.
2. Xherdan Shaqiri
A very marginalised figure at Anfield for the last couple of seasons, Shaqiri is still a major force to reckon when it comes to international duty with the winger a much important cog for the Swiss national team.
Considering the recent talk of his exit from Liverpool many believe Shaqiri to return to his usual best in front of the goal in order to generate more interest in landing his signature from clubs wanting to sign him this summer.
3. Neco Williams
The defensive starlet is a part of the Wales camp which will be led by Gareth Bale and Ryan Giggs’ men have made a good start to the tournament by clinching a narrow one-goal win over the Czech Republic in the opener.
Williams is not a guaranteed starter for Wales but should The Dragons be plagued by injury issues to their backline, the Liverpool man will be tipped to grab a role on the starting teamsheet and meet expectations surrounding his talent.
4. Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota has scored more goals off the bench than any other Premier League player this season (4).
Jurgen's super-sub does it again. pic.twitter.com/NMA63UibX5
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 3, 2021
Jota made an instant impact after signing for the Reds last summer and despite an injury-stricken finish to the 2020-21 season for the new Anfield recruit, he made his presence known in the final third of the pitch by scoring 13 goals in 28 outings.
The former Wolves forward will be partnering the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes in the attacking setup for Portugal which are heavily backed to retain their crown clinched by them five summers ago.
5. Thiago Alcantara
Thiago failed to meet the hype which had followed his move to Anfield in the summer of 2020 but the much-creative midfielder ensured a strong finish to his debut campaign in the Liverpool shirt.
He will be burdened with the responsibility of anchoring the midfield for Spain which has quite a bunch of inexperienced and fresh faces in their squad this time around and with no Sergio Ramos to don the captain’s armband and lead from the front.
