Curtis Jones' under-21 omission explained as seven young Reds earn England call-ups

Despite enjoying a fine UEFA European Under-21 Championship this summer – a tournament that resulted in him scoring the winning goal in the final – Liverpool's Curtis Jones will not feature for the Young Lions in this upcoming international break.

After Reds coach Jürgen Klopp confirmed on Friday during his pre-match press conference that Jones was back in full training, his omission from Lee Carsley's squad has raised a few eyebrows.

However, while this came as a surprise to many, the explanation for it is rather straightforward: at 22 years of age, the midfielder is no longer eligible for selection at under-21 level.

Seven players called up

Liverpool's match against Aston Villa this Sunday signals the conclusion of the initial set of fixtures in the Premier League, marking the beginning of the first international break of the season.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – who, interestingly, was named as a midfielder on the official announcement – is the sole Liverpool player representing the senior England squad, while six others are part of England's youth setup.

Midfielder Harvey Elliott has been called up for the under-21s again, while defenders Jarell Quansah and Luke Chambers are part of the England under-20 set-up for a training camp at St. George’s Park.

Meanwhile, the England under-19s, featuring Bobby Clark and Calum Scanlon, are set to play friendly matches against Germany and Switzerland in Spain, while Jayden Danns, an emerging striker, has earned his first call-up to the England under-18s squad for the Tournoi International in France.