Liverpool have seen 21 players called up for international duty in June, with various qualifiers and Nations League ties held directly after the season’s end.
It is a ridiculous situation, with many of Jurgen Klopp‘s first team required to turn out for their national teams just days after the Champions League final.
The 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in Paris was the Reds’ 63rd game of the season, with six players making 50 or more appearances for the club throughout the course of 2021/22.
But such is the state of modern football, Liverpool have received call-ups from 16 different associations regarding 21 of their players – including 18 from the senior squad.
This includes Andy Robertson, who will lead Scotland into their crucial World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Wednesday night.
If Scotland win that playoff semi-final, they will take on Neco Williams‘ Wales in Cardiff on Sunday, with the winner from that tie joining England, the USA and Iran in Group B at the tournament in Qatar.
Provided Scotland make it to the playoff final, they are to play a total of five games in the space of a fortnight.
Elsewhere, Thiago, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley have been called up by their countries for UEFA Nations League games.
Alisson and Fabinho are in the Brazil squad to play South Korea, Japan and Argentina, while Takumi Minamino is part of the Japan group to play Paraguay and Brazil before taking part in the Kirin Cup.
Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have seen Naby Keita, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane all called up, with Keita’s Guinea playing Salah’s Egypt on Thursday night.
Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott are both in with England under-21s, Fabio Carvalho is with the Portugal under-21s, Sepp van den Berg has made the Netherlands under-21s and Owen Beck joins the Wales under-21s.
Academy goalkeepers Vitezslav Jaros (Czech Republic U21s) and Jakub Ojrzynski (Poland U20s) have also been called up.
There have been some notable omissions, however, with Jordan Henderson, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Ibrahima Konate among those not involved with their national teams.
Liverpool players on international duty in June
Senior players: Alisson, Fabinho, Thiago, Robertson, Tsimikas, Van Dijk, Keita, Salah, Mane, Alexander-Arnold, Jota, Minamino, Kelleher, N.Williams, Bradley, Jones, Elliott, Carvalho
Youth: Van den Berg, Beck, Jaros, Ojrzynski
Left out: Henderson, Diaz, Matip (retired), Firmino, Konate, Milner (retired) Gomez, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adrian, R.Williams, Pitaluga
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