Euro 2024 are here and it’s time to take a look at the Liverpool players who’ll be representing their respective national team at the finals. The Reds have once again a respectable number of players in the tournament with prominent players in the squads of the likes of England, Netherlands and France, among others.
The talk of the town is that this English team might just be the best Three Lions team ever, and the pressure is on, with hopes to go further this time than in Euro 2020, when the crushing defeat to Italy in the final put an end to the fans’ singing.
Gareth Southgate might finish his stint as a England manager this summer, with his contract expiring, although the naysayers should know that there are talks of an extension as well. Time will tell of Southgate’s future, that’s for sure.
Anyway, let’s check in on every Liverpool player who’s going to Euro 2024.
Joe Gomez (England)
The (previously) injury-prone defender has finally had a proper season with Liverpool without injuries halting his momentum. Gomez graced the Reds with 51 appearances in 2023/24, the most for him in a single campaign during his nine years at the club. Compare that to his three previous seasons when he played 64 games combined!
Surely his reliability and form is what prompted Southgate to call him up to the squad this year. Gomez can be a Swiss army knife in defence, as he can cover both full-back and centre-back, which might come in very useful.
Will he be a starter, though? It’s more likely that we’ll see him coming off the bench, perhaps because of injuries or to help close out games, but we’re not expecting him to start many games for England at Euro 2024.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
In recent years, the Liverpool vice-captain hasn’t been as involved with the national team as he is with his club.
Trent has been putting up solid performances regularly for both the Reds and Enfland, but it’s still being questioned in some quarters whether or not he belongs in Southgate’s starting XI.
The right-back have been tried out in midfield, where his creative talents can blossom even further, but there’s tough competition to start wherever he could play.
There’s no denying that the England squad is packed with talent and only 11 can be picked to start, but Trent should definitely be in the mix.
Diogo Jota (Portugal)
Liverpool’s very own supersub is likely to play a similar impact role for his country.
Jota is good enough to start for many countries, but if there’s something Portugal aren’t lacking, it’s prolific fowards. It might just be too crowded up front, so Diogo might have to watch from the bench, at least initially.
We all know what team won the Euros in 2016. Will Jota be the difference for Portugal this summer? See all the Euro odds and look at their chances to win.
Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands)
Good ol’ Virg. What’s else there to say about this lad, really?
Sure, he might have passed his prime but he is still one of the world’s best centre-backs. However the discussion in the Netherlands is not as jolly and cheery about Virgil as the Reds might believe. He has faced a lot of criticism back home and been the face of his country’s poor form for the past couple of years, being handed much of the blame for the Oranje’s lack of success.
The Reds know what he’s capable of and what he brings to the table – clean sheets, goals and great leadership. A definite starter as national team captain, Van Dijk will be key to any success for the Dutch in Germany this summer.
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
We’re still waiting for the big breakthrough for Cody Gakpo in a red shirt. We’ve caught glimpses here and there, but what’s lacking is the consistency. The potential is there for sure, but reliability is crucial if he wants to be a leading man in Arne Slot’s attack.
What Gakpo has shown for the Oranje is that he can be a reliable goalscorer, netting in each group game at the 2022 World Cup, playing both as a centre-forward and an attacking midfielder. Let’s hope he has a good tournament at Euro 2024 and comes back with the confidence to be the leading man up top for the Reds.
Ryan Gravenberch (Netherlands)
Gravenberch is still looking for a regular starting berth Merseyside, although his time might yet come as he’s only 22. He made 26 appearances in the Premier League this season and 38 in total for Liverpool, which is a solid return, although it’s rare to see a full 90 minutes for the Dutch midfielder.
The youngster made his national team debut at the age of 18 in a World Cup qualifier against Turkey in 2021.
Andy Robertson (Scotland)
Robertson leads the Scottish team in Germany this summer and will be involved against the hosts in the opening match of Euro 2024 – assuming an injury scare doesn’t prove serious.
The Scots face a tough challenge in trying to finish ahead of Hungary and Switzerland, with the host nation expected to sail through the group stage without too much difficulty.
Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary)
As captain, Szoboslai will lead Hungary into battle in Group A against Switzerland, Scotland and Germany. The 23-year-old has skipepred his country for two years, being a staple in their starting XI.
He had an excellent start to his season but hasn’t hit his best form since a hamstring injury earlier this year.
Ibrahima Konaté (France)
When it matters, we’ve seen that Didier Deschamps will likely select Ibrahima Konaté as one of his centre-backs for France. The 25-year-old played in five of his country’s seven matches at the 2022 World Cup and five out of eight qualifying games for Euro 2024.
Perhaps Konaté will be the Liverpool player with the most minutes at the tournament, given his chances of starting, the likelihood of him playing a full match and Les Bleus’ status as favourites for the trophy.
READ MORE: A history of Liverpool players at the European Championship
