It will not feel like it now but for Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah, missing out on England’s European Championship squad may not be a bad thing.
Representing England would have been a huge moment in their careers. The idea of travelling around Germany in a team that is one of the favourites has plenty of appeal. The experience of living and breathing a major international tournament would have been invaluable.
But there is also much to be said for both players being able to go on holiday, rest their bodies after a long season and return for the first day of pre-season training with the aim of impressing new Liverpool manager Arne Slot. Ultimately, that should benefit them and Liverpool.
Neither omission was surprising. Jones has yet to pick up a senior cap, and his role as an observer against Bosnia & Herzegovina indicated his likelihood of making Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man was small.
If Jones had been called up, the chances are his impact on the tournament would have been minor. Injuries would have been required to boost him up the pecking order — which is not to dispute the 23-year-old’s quality but just to reflect the reality of his situation.
Jones will also have been aware that he ended his Liverpool campaign struggling for rhythm and form. When fit and firing, Jones was a key cog in Jurgen Klopp’s system, with his impressive ball retention and pressing intensity standing out — but by the end of the season, he looked in need of a refresh.
Curtis Jones struggled at the end of the season (Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Jones should not be disheartened. In an individual meeting on Wednesday, Southgate told Jones that he had impressed him in training and that he had taken great strides towards establishing himself throughout the campaign. He will be back, especially if he now makes a fast start to life under Slot.
Liverpool usually give international players around three weeks off after a major tournament. If England were to advance to the final on July 14, those players would return with the new season almost upon them.
When a manager has been in place for several seasons, returning late for pre-season due to other commitments is usually not a problem. Last summer, for example, Klopp knew Jones’ ability and importance to his side, just as the player was well-versed in his role and the German coach’s system.
That does not apply this summer. Every player who arrives back at Liverpool’s Kirkby training ground in early July does so knowing that they must impress new staff and learn a new system, especially if the Dutchman sticks to the 4-2-3-1 formation he favoured at Feyenoord.
Competition for midfield places will be fierce. Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister were new arrivals last summer and laid down markers with fine performances in pre-season.
Jones returned late last summer following an impressive European Under-21 Championship, where England won the trophy. It meant he was playing catch-up during pre-season. And when the campaign began, he was not part of the starting XI.
This time, he will be in a position to capitalise. Szoboszlai (Hungary) Mac Allister (Argentina) and Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands) are all competing in summer tournaments (the Copa America finishes on the same day as the Euros), so will return late. Jones, Harvey Elliott — who was also a late returnee to Liverpool last summer thanks to England Under-21s — Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic could all take advantage of having a head start.
Quansah’s initial call-up to Southgate’s provisional squad was a surprise, although it was deserved recognition for his rapid progression from a relative unknown to Liverpool’s first-choice centre-half alongside Virgil van Dijk. And the fact that Quansah is on standby, ready to be called up in case of another injury, is testament to how highly he is rated.
Jarell Quansah’s emergence was one of Liverpool’s stories of the season (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
But with Van Dijk (Netherlands) and Ibrahima Konate (France) likely to go deep into the Euros, Quansah returning for the very start of pre-season gives him the chance to cement his spot as part of Slot’s preferred centre-back pairing. Given Slot will have to use other young centre-backs, such as Sepp van den Berg, in the early weeks of pre-season, Quansah, who made 34 first-team appearances last season, will be expected to be the leader at the age of 21.
Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inclusions in England’s 26-man squad were expected. Gomez has bounced back from a difficult few seasons to become a reliable, versatile option and Slot will be able to use him in several positions.
The bigger problem Slot may face is a lack of time with Alexander-Arnold before the season begins. It is still unclear whether Slot views the 25-year-old as a right-back or a central midfielder.
If it is the latter as part of his double pivot, both manager and player will have little choice but to fine-tune the change once the season is underway.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
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