Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah admits his call up into Thomas Tuchel’s debut England squad feels ‘surreal’. Having broken through to Liverpool’s starting XI last season and racking up 33 appearances, Quansah was in the mix for the Euros with England, only to narrowly miss the final selection under Gareth Southgate.
This season has proved tougher for the 22 year old, with just 10 starts and only two coming in the Premier League. He was named in Arne Slot’s first Liverpool XI but was replaced by Ibrahima Konate, who has formed a strong partnership since with Virgil van Dijk.
Now with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley, and Joe Gomez out of action, Quansah is in line to start in the right-back position in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley.
Quansah was drafted in by interim England boss Lee Carsley in November after withdrawals but did not get off the bench. He will hope to get an opportunity against Albania and Latvia this month.
The defender expressed his elation about his England call-up, saying: “Yeah, it’s a surreal feeling. Obviously with the last camp, it was to step in and stuff like that. But this one is definitely the first one where I feel part of the squad, it’s a great feeling.
“Have I spoken to the new manager? No, not yet. But football’s about ups and downs. Last time, not doing what I wanted to and not being picked for the Euros… I just tried to bounce back and be in a better position for this season. It’s good to be part of the plans.”
Meanwhile, Arne Slot hopes the defender can use his mixed fortunes this season as a positive as he cements his place in the Liverpool squad. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s final, Slot said: “It says a lot about his mentality.
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“So last season I think everybody saw what a talent he is. Then the season started with him starting and I changed him as we all know against Ipswich.
“And Ibou and Virgil were and are such a strong combination that he didn’t play a lot [after that], but every time he had to play, except maybe for the first one or two games, everybody could see that maybe he’s no longer a ‘talent’. Because as a talent, you don’t have any setbacks. But the moment you get setbacks, it’s about how you react.
“I think he showed in his recent performances that he’s outgrown being called a talent and that’s probably what Thomas Tuchel saw and sees as well by calling him up.”
