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But in the end it emerged the tournament's best midfielder, and the one who netted the winner in the final, was already on Liverpool's books.

READ MORE:Jarell Quansah ready 'to take next step' as Liverpool transfer interest continuesREAD MORE:Florian Wirtz has obvious answer to tricky Liverpool question that annoyed him

Curtis Jones has subsequently established himself in the senior England squad - playing in the most recent games against Andorra and Senegal earlier this month - with his versatility meaning he made approaching 50 appearances for the Reds during a season in which they claimed the Premier League title.

Wirtz's progress was such that, even aged just 20, he had already made the step up from the Germany U21 side ahead of that tournament in 2023 and was a regular in the full national team squad.

The latest U21 Euros started this week.

But rather than being seen as an opportunity for Liverpool to snap up new talent, it could instead be construed as something of a shop window for a number of their young English players.

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When England began their defence with a 3-1 win over Czechia in Slovenia on Thursday night, Harvey Elliott, who scored the opener, and Jarell Quansah both started while Tyler Morton emerged from the bench.

All three suffered frustrating campaigns at Liverpool.

Elliott has already reportedly turned down an approach from Nottingham Forest while Bayer Leverkusen are interested in Quansah, despite the Reds planning on having the centre-back as part of their squad this season.

And, in the long term, may well have to rectify.

With Trent Alexander-Arnold having already gone, it would leave Jones and Joe Gomez - another whose future continues to be called into question - as the only senior English players in the squad.

Of course, having no English players in the starting XI is nothing new.

And in the early days of the club, all-Scottish teams were not uncommon.

For some context, Arsenal this season had five English players who could be considered first-team squad regulars.

Liverpool are mindful of the implications of relying too much on players not regarded as homegrown - although new signing Jeremie Frimpong, having spent his Academy years at Manchester City, is deemed one such player - and, like all clubs, have to plan accordingly.

And how the Reds manage that situation over the coming months could well shape the transfer window of this summer and beyond.


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