Liverpool: International Duty Update

A number of Liverpool players are away with their respective nations this week and the U21 players led the way impressively last night...

Four Liverpool players featured for the England U21s yesterday evening as Stuart Pearce's side impressed against Sweden.

20-year-old Reds midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was on hand to neatly tuck home England's second in a 4-0 friendly win.

The goal was sandwiched between two strikes from Liverpool target and one-time youth team player Tom Ince. Sunderland's Connor Wickham added the fourth late on.

Defenders Andrew Wisdom and Jack Robinson played the full 90 minutes and were assured throughout, whilst recently-crowned U21 Player of the Year Jordan Henderson captained the side.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers will no doubt have been happy to see both Henderson, and Shelvey, substituted at half-time as Pearce rang a host of intentional changes.

The former Sunderland man has been a key player for Rodgers in the past few weeks and recently won Vital Liverpool's Player of the Month award for January.

The victory, played in front of 9,000 spectators in Walsall, was the side's seventh in a row and impressively all seven have been completed with clean sheets.

Elsewhere, 19-year-old attacker Suso bagged an assist for the Spanish U21s in their 1-1 draw with Belgium.

A host of other Liverpool players will be in senior action tonight although sadly striker Daniel Sturridge has been forced to pull out of Roy Hodgson's Three Lions squad with a thigh problem.

The injury was sustained during Sunday's 2-2 draw with reigning Premier League champions Manchester City but the club are hopeful Sturridge will be fit for their next game against West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson will win their 101st and 46th England caps respectively with Gerrard again set to captain his country.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina is in Spain's squad for their showpiece friendly against Uruguay in Qatar. Luis Suarez and Sebastian Coates are set to lineup in opposition.

Defenders Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel are also on their travels - the former will represent Denmark against FYR Macedonia, while Skrtel heads to Belgium with Slovakia.

Joe Allen will return to the Liberty Stadium where he played for Swansea City until his summer move to Merseyside. The midfielder and his Welsh teammates entertain Austria.

Finally reserve goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi is on international duty with Hungary as they host Belarus.

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