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Former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, who could return to Anfield one day as the Reds inserted a buy-back clause in the deal that saw him move to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, has reacted with delight after making his international debut.
An England regular at youth level, Quansah was chosen to play for the Three Lions against Albania on Sunday, starting for the first time under Thomas Tuchel. He was alongside John Stones, Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly in defense.
"Honoured to make my England debut," he wrote on Instagram, alongside a variety of pictures from the game. "A moment I’ve always dreamt of and one that will stay with me forever!"
Several Liverpool players, including Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley, filled the comments with messages of congratulations. So too did the likes of Jordan Henderson and Jude Bellingham.
"I have been learning from some of the best players around me at the time at Liverpool," Quansah said in October as he explained the decision to leave Liverpool.
"Being able to do that has been so good for my career. It has always been a big part of it. At this part of my career, 22 turning 23, [in January] I need hundreds of games to be where I want to be.
"I think overall that's why the decision was made and why I thought going abroad was best for me."
At the point that he was speaking, Quansah, who won the European U21 Championship in the summer alongside Harvey Elliott, had been selected for five previous England squads by three different managers (Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley and Tuchel).
It was only this weekend, though, that he finally made his way onto the field. "It is not a strange feeling, I'm really delighted to be here," he said.
"[It is] always a huge honor to get called up and I'm thankful for the manager for that as well.
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"It is always about learning from the senior players who have more caps than I do. Hopefully it is something I will achieve, a cap for England."
Quansah has played 13 times for Bayer Leverkusen so far and he has already scored twice in all competitions. After a bad start for the team, Erik ten Hag was fired and replaced by Kasper Hjulmand, but it is now only two points behind second-placed RB Leipzig.
Liverpool.com says: Quansah being back at Anfield at some point in the future would be no surprise. He needed to leave and get regular game time, but he is clearly a very talented center-back.
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