The striker spent the duration of the 2012-13 campaign on loan with the Hammers, scoring seven goals in 24 appearances.

Carroll joined Liverpool from Newcastle United on transfer deadline day in January 2011. In total, he played 58 games for the Reds and scored 11 times.

Everybody at Liverpool FC would like to wish Andy all the best for the future.

Fabio Borini

The 22-year-old notched his second of the tournament in Israel after completing a one-two and thrashing home from 20 yards with the aid of a slight deflection in the 80th minute.

But the strike proved merely a consolation for Borini and his international colleagues as a hat-trick by Thiago Alcantara ensured Spain defended the trophy it captured two summers ago.

Spain took the lead in the sixth minute when Alvaro Morata spun into space on the left hand side of the penalty box and fizzed a cross onto the head of Thiago to nod into a gaping net.

But Borini’s Italy responded before the 10-minute mark — Ciro Immobile beautifully controlled a long pass behind the Spanish defense and coolly dinked the ball over an onrushing David de Gea.

The Liverpool forward almost created a second goal for his country in the 24th minute, finding Alessandro Florenzi with a clever pass. The latter was denied smartly by De Gea.

Spain regained their advantage at the half-hour mark. Koke was afforded time and freedom to deliver into the area, where Thiago chested down and drilled, left-footed, beyond the goalkeeper.

Thiago completed a superb hat-trick in the 38th minute from 12 yards following an alleged foul on the rapid Cristian Tello by Italy defender Giulio Donati.

Spain grabbed a fourth midway through the second period to quell any hopes of an Italian comeback, with Isco adopting penalty duties and passing the ball comfortably into the bottom corner.

Borini added his name to the scoresheet and reduced the deficit for Italy with 10 minutes left on the clock, but no more goals followed and the striker had to settle for second place on this occasion.

Andy brings a wealth of global experience to the club having held senior positions at Hilton Hotels and the Cendant Corporation. He originally trained with Ernst & Young and most recently was chief financial officer at Guoman and Thistle Hotels.

“Our financial operations are a crucial part of the club’s business,” Ian Ayre, LFC managing director, said. ”As we continue with our growth it is essential that we have the right experience in these key positions. Andy has a long track record of delivering successful results in a variety of challenging roles.

“He will be responsible for all of the club’s financial management and I am delighted to announce this appointment.”

Hughes will join the club on Monday, July 8, 2013 and will be part of the club’s senior management team.

“I am very proud to join Liverpool Football Club — a brand that is recognized all over the world,” Hughes said about his appointment. “It’s an exciting time to be joining and there is real opportunity to further develop the club’s financial operations.”

The 22-year-old recovered from a serious shoulder injury in time for the tournament in Israel — and on Saturday night against Holland all his work paid off.

The forward executed a clinical finish in the 78th minute after turning his man inside the penalty area, and it proved to be the only goal of the game.

“It was definitely one of my most important goals this season,” Borini said. “I also scored an important one when I returned from injury [against Newcastle in April], but this is more significant because it means we are through to face a great team in the final.

“It is especially important for all the guys who are here. We have come through unnoticed.

“I dedicate this goal to all of my teammates, to the staff, to my family, my friends, to all the Italians who have followed us, because it was a difficult year for me. My agent and my psychologist have also stayed close to me. That’s why I’m so elated — I had so many people to thank.

“Holland are a great team but we showed that we are also strong. We came back from a difficult first 45 minutes and consolidated as a team. We improved after that. We proved tonight that anything can happen, even after suffering for 90 minutes.”

The celebrations that followed Borini’s goal saw him mobbed by teammates and squad members on the touchline.

“I couldn’t think after the goal,” he said. “In truth I knew it would end this way, and I’m happy for myself and my teammates.

“[Devis] Mangia was right to pick me. I made sure I was at his disposal, recovering quickly [from injury with Liverpool] and proving it is possible to make a comeback from difficulty.”

Going into the final with defending champion Spain on Tuesday night, Borini insisted Italy would not be intimidated.

“We have proven that everything is possible,” he said. ”Now we will prepare and hope to get off to a good start in that game.”

The Reds’ No. 2 had already revealed to Liverpoolfc.com earlier this year that he was undertaking Spanish lessons, and now the England international has discussed his desire to secure academic honors.

“I like challenging myself, finding that will from within to do something different and become better,” Johnson told the official Liverpool FC magazine.

“I’ve always liked maths. So I thought: ‘Why not?’ I’m not setting any major targets, putting myself under loads of pressure to complete everything within a certain time. An Open University degree is quite flexible. I’m coming up to the end of the second unit of three. There are different paths you can take with various options to reach the same end. As long as I keep enjoying it, I’ll keep doing it.

“There’s not a job in the world that maths can’t help you with. The average person probably doesn’t go through a single day without using it, whatever level you work at. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I finish with football but I’m sure that maths is going to help.

“I enjoyed maths but I didn’t enjoy school. I knew I could have been better than I was but I wasn’t interested as much as I should have been. I’ve thought about returning to it for a few years.

“Then at the start of this season I was having a conversation with someone and in a spur-of-the-moment decision I decided to go with it before I could change my mind. I joined the course and ordered the equipment that day to throw myself in the deep end.

“At the Open University it’s a case of learning at home so I’m not in a classroom. But it’s the first time since leaving school that I’m taking exams and trying to earn qualifications.”

The defender expanded further on how he manages studying around football commitments and admitted he never expected to be working toward a qualification in maths.

“The maths is convenient at the moment because the course starts in October and finishes in May/June. Obviously I’m not really keen on doing it while I’m on holiday,” he added. ”It fits in conveniently with the football. When I’ve finished training and while the kids are in school I’ll sit down for an hour on the bed and study. Sometimes I’ll do a bit longer.

“But I’m not really strict with myself and I’m not going to let it take over my life. I’ve done some exams and posted them in. So far I’ve done okay.

“It just proves to me that you never know what is around the corner and that if you want to do something badly enough, you can do it. The Spanish — maybe I could have seen myself doing that. But not the maths.

“When I was young I always admired people that could speak other languages. It’s an impressive skill. When I first came here, there were a lot of Spanish lads — lads with backgrounds like mine.

“I wanted to be able to do the same. It’s a good laugh as well. The other boys test me every day. Just by listening to conversations, you learn.”

Photo via LiverpoolFC.com

Aspas scored 12 goals in 34 games in 2012-13 despite playing for a side threatened with relegation until the final day of the season.

During the campaign, he was directly involved in 51 percent of his team’s goals.

The 25-year-old broke into the senior side at the Spanish outfit in 2009 after graduating from its youth set-up.

Aspas can play through the middle or out wide, and he could become Brendan Rodgers‘ second signing of the summer transfer window following a deal for Kolo Toure.

Stay tuned to Liverpoolfc.com for more over the coming days.

Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Iago Aspas

The Reds were eliminated from all three knockout competitions they entered in 2012-13 as Rodgers coped with having a small and inexperienced squad.

Seven academy players were drafted in for debuts during the campaign — though the boss was able to add proven talent with the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge in January.

Their arrival was a factor in an upturn in form during the second half of the campaign, and Rodgers hopes similar success in the transfer market over the coming months will enable Liverpool to challenge on all fronts.

“This time, we’ll certainly give the League Cup and the FA Cup a proper go — we have a much better squad to do that,” he said. ”We had a paper-thin squad last year, we had kids all the way through. Obviously those players who have come in have added quality and it’s no coincidence that we have kicked on when we’ve had quality in the group.

“We need to improve the group and the depth but that’s what gives me great hope for the summer. If we can add that, we can make a real start and then we’re ready to challenge.”

Rodgers has already secured a deal in principle to bring Manchester City’s Kolo Toure to Anfield, helping to fill the void left by retiring defender Jamie Carragher.

On the potential make-up of his squad when the 2013-14 season kicks off, he added: “You can flip it about, but it’s the depth really. We just need to build up the depth of the squad.

“I want to have people who might be disappointed because they’re not even on the bench. At the minute we probably don’t have that so it’s competition we want to get.

“I don’t want a massive group, we want a tight group with a real core of 17 or 18 players who feel they should always be playing and then supported by a few of our top young talents.”

The Liverpool midfielder was his country’s skipper when it won the European U-17 Championship back in 2010.

Manager Peter Taylor today handed him the armband for the forthcoming tournament in Turkey.

And Coady is eager to lead by example once again and guide the Young Lions to glory.

“To be captain at any tournament is fantastic, but to be England captain at the U-20 World Cup finals is superb. I couldn’t be happier at the minute,” he told FATV.

“I’d love to repeat [the 2010 win]. We’re focused going into the tournament. The team cannot wait for it. We’ll go and do the best we can.

“I feel like I’ve had a good season and I’ve really improved on my game and the things I wanted to improve on. So I just need to carry on in that way and keep improving.”

Reds fullback Jon Flanagan will join Coady in Taylor’s squad for the tournament.

Also in the set-up for the trip to Turkey are Everton’s Ross Barkley and Tottenham’s Harry Kane, as well as the man who fired a hat-trick for Manchester United against Liverpool in the Barclays U-21s Premier League semi-final, Larnell Cole.

Coady, therefore, is surrounded by familiar faces.

“We all know each other from playing against each other and all the lads are fantastic,” continued the skipper. ”We’re all good mates and there’s a great team spirit in the camp. All the lads came over and shook my hand and gave me a hug when they found out I was captain.

“We’re all happy for each other here when someone plays and I’m really happy at the minute.”

England will get its campaign underway with a clash against Iran on June 23.

It will take on Chile three days later before finishing the group stage by facing Egypt on June 29.

Up until now the group has trained at various camps around England — and Coady is relishing the prospect of flying out to Turkey and getting the tournament started.

“The training camps have been fantastic and it’s been good to get to know the boys and get to know how we’re going to play,” he said. “But we just want to get out there now.

“We’ll be sweating a bit out there [due to the intense heat] but we can’t wait to get out there and start the tournament.”

Photo via LiverpoolFC.com

The 20-year-old wears the armband for the Reds’ U-21s team and will transfer his leadership qualities to Peter Taylor‘s aspiring outfit. Jon Flanagan has also been selected for the tournament.

England begins its assault on the title with a Group E clash against Iraq on June 23. It takes on Chile three days later before completing the group stage by facing Egypt on June 29.

Coady has made 35 appearances at various youth levels for his country; the local lad made his Liverpool debut during 2012-13 and also featured in his first Barclays Premier League match.

Thumbnail photo via Liverpoolfc.com

Raheem Sterling

The Reds have been out of the UEFA Champions League since 2009-10, but 18-year-old Sterling believes the foundations laid by Rodgers during his maiden season mean the club will be back among Europe’s elite sooner rather than later.

“We just need to get a good start to the next season and hopefully maintain that, and 100 percent I think we’ve got a good chance of finishing in the top four,” Sterling said.

The Jamaican-born star made his England debut last November in a friendly against Sweden, but injury meant he sat out the end of 2012-13.

His aim for next season is simple.

“For me at Liverpool, 100 percent it’s about cementing a starting place in the team, getting a good run of games and hopefully getting some goals for the club, and obviously assists as well,” Sterling continued. ”If I do that then hopefully I’ll get a pick for the England squad.”

It was Kenny Dalglish who granted a 17-year-old Sterling his senior debut against Wigan at the back end of 2011-12 — but it has been under Rodgers that his career has come to life.

“I can’t talk any more highly of him as a person, not just as a manager,” he said of Rodgers. ”He’s a top guy. He’s one of those who isn’t only interested if you’re playing well at that moment. He looks at players who are not playing or young players.

“Liverpool should be really grateful they’ve got a manager like that.”

The Reds will take on Melbourne Victory at the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground on July 24 as part of its preseason tour presented by Standard Chartered.

Tickets to attend the exhibition contest sold out in record time, and Lucas is already relishing what will undoubtedly be an occasion to savor next month.

“I have never been to Australia before, so it’ll be my first time, but I have heard a lot of great things about it,” the 26-year-old told LFCTour.com.

“I have a few friends who went to visit and all the messages are very positive, so I am really looking forward to a country we have never been to before, meeting the fans and seeing how many supporters Liverpool have around the world.

“I am really looking forward to it — and I think it will be great weather, as well!

“I have a lot of friends who went to Australia to learn English. I didn’t need to go there to learn English because I had the chance to come to England, but they all said it is a brilliant country with very nice, warm people.

“I am looking forward to knowing more about the country, spending some time there and meeting the fans.”

Liverpool’s fan base Down Under is large and Lucas has explained the importance of Aussie Kopites being given the opportunity to watch their heroes in the flesh.

“It’s important because we know we have a lot of fans around the world,” he added.

“We’ve been to America, to Asia and now we want to go to Australia to meet the fans and give them the opportunity to get a bit closer.

“I don’t think many of them have the chance to come to England and watch a game at Anfield, so it will be a chance to repay the support they give us through social networks and from watching on the TV.

“I have been in many different countries with Liverpool and all of them have been amazing with the support. It shows how much respect Liverpool has around the world and it’s up to the players now to keep this history going because it’s really important.”

The trip will give the Reds the chance to play at another of the world’s most iconic sporting venues in the form of the 100,000-capacity MCG, following on from last summer’s game at Boston’s Fenway Park.

“On the last tour we played at Fenway Park. It was really nice and a stadium that plays another sport,” Lucas said.

“It’s a great experience that the players wanted to have — playing in different stadiums. I think it’s going to be a very nice party on the day.”

Photo via Liverpoolfc.com

The game, which will be played at Deepdale with kickoff at 3 p.m. BST, will be covered as usual across all LFC media, with live streaming available on the club’s official website for LFC TV Online subscribers.

The game will bring together two north-west clubs with a shared bond — the iconic Bill Shankly.

As Liverpool manager, the inspirational Scot created one of football’s greatest and most successful dynasties at Anfield.

The man from Glenbuck is revered at Preston too, having spent the vast majority of his playing career with the Lancashire club across 16 years.

This exhibition game will provide both sets of supporters with an opportunity to celebrate the life and career of Shankly, in the same year in which the 100th anniversary of his birth will be marked.

The two sides last met in an FA Cup third-round clash in January 2009. Albert Riera and Fernando Torres struck the goals in a 2-0 away victory for the Reds.

Liverpool will play at Deepdale just days before it starts its preseason tour in Jakarta (July 20), Melbourne (July 24), Bangkok (July 28), Valerenga (August 7) and Dublin (August 10).

The Reds will also play Olympiacos in Steven Gerrard‘s testimonial game at home on August 3.

Ticket information will be released in the coming days and fans should stay logged on to Liverpoolfc.com for further details.

The Reds’ skipper underwent surgery in May to correct a recurrent injury and was forced to miss the club’s final two games of the 2012-13 season.

A newspaper report published on Wednesday suggested the 33-year-old has suffered a setback in his rehabilitation — but the club can report that Gerrard’s recovery remains fully on track.

As stated originally, the club’s medical team is confident that the midfielder is on schedule for his comeback and expect Gerrard to be fit and ready for preseason training.

The game will be played at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 10 with kick-off at 5:30pm BST (11:30 am EST). Tickets will be priced between €10-55 ($13-72) and will go on sale later this month.

“We last played Celtic almost a decade ago so we are thrilled to get this event in our preseason calendar,” Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer at Liverpool FC, said.

“Both at Liverpool and Celtic, we are fortunate to have two of the most passionate fan bases in the world and this fixture in Dublin is a chance to bring them together once again.”

The Bhoys were the first team Liverpool faced following the Hillsborough tragedy as part of a memorial fixture on April 30, 1989. It was at this game when both sets of supporters truly connected as Celtic fans cheered each of the four goals Liverpool scored.

The Reds last played the Scottish champions in a preseason friendly in Connecticut, USA in July 2004.

Both clubs share a wealth of history spanning more than 120 years each. Celtic were the first British club to win the European Cup in 1967 and Liverpool were the first British club to win the European Cup five times.

Photo via LiverpoolFC.com

He followed in the footsteps of Adam Morgan, Suso, Andre Wisdom, Samed Yesil, Jerome Sinclair and Conor Coady, who had all made first-team bows during the campaign.

For academy director Frank McParland, the achievement represents huge strides forward for the club’s youth setup.

“To get seven debuts in one season is great, and we’ve had a successful year,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “Every time one of the lads breaks through, it lifts everyone’s spirits at the academy.”

Let’s take look back on a special season for Liverpool’s youngsters and analyze the progress of each of the seven debutants.

Adam Morgan
Morgan is a Scouser born and bred. The Halewood native has been at the Liverpool academy since he was a schoolboy. An instinctive striker with a tireless work ethic, the youngster drew praise from manager Brendan Rodgers for his application and initiative, both on the field and in training, during the Reds’ summer tour of North America in 2012. Morgan grabbed the Reds’ only goal in their 1-1 draw against Toronto in the first game of the trip — and celebrated like he’d just clinched the winner in a European Cup final.

A month later, on Sept. 30, he was handed his full Liverpool debut at Anfield against Hearts in the second leg of Liverpool’s Europa League qualifier. On 25 minutes his powerful effort was spilled by opposition stopper Jamie MacDonald. Shortly afterwards the whole of Anfield was on its feet in celebration when the local lad displayed his innate striker’s instinct to tap the ball home and seemingly give Liverpool the lead. However, the referee disallowed the goal, adjudging Luis Suarez to have run the ball out of play in the buildup.

Andre Wisdom
Born and raised in Leeds, Wisdom arrived at the Liverpool academy in 2008. The youngster made such an impression on the reserve manager of the time, Gary Ablett, that he was selected in the squad for a match soon after his 15th birthday. His debut for the first team came on Sept. 20, 2012, at the Stade De Suisse, during the Reds’ first Europa League group game against Young Boys. It took him 40 minutes to leave his mark, as he battered his way through a thicket of yellow shirts inside the penalty area and thundered a header past Marco Wolfli to make it 2-1 Liverpool.

In Martin Kelly‘s absence, Wisdom, who spent most of his academy career playing in the center-back role, would go on to make the right-back slot his own in the senior side. The powerful defender was given a Premier League debut against Norwich a week later and made a total of 19 appearances in all competitions throughout the 2012-13 campaign. In January he signed a new long-term contract with the club. Rodgers reflected on the deal: “I’m delighted for Andre because he’s a young player that’s really impressed me with his attitude and football qualities over the course of these first six months, and he’s grabbed his opportunity.”

Suso
Real Madrid and Barcelona were just two of the clubs keen on acquiring the services of Suso, the youngster from Cadiz, before he finally opted for Rafael Benitez‘s Liverpool in the summer of 2010. Rodgers saw his potential straightaway, and after handing him 45-minute spells against Toronto and Roma during the club’s preseason tour, he gave the youngster a first-team squad number, No.30, to indicate he was very much part of the plan for the future. Suso made his debut in the game against Young Boys. However, just three days later, on Sept. 23, he was thrust into the heat of the battle during a highly-charged clash against Manchester United at Anfield.

The 18-year-old displayed glimmers of potential, especially when he jinked past Paul Scholes and rifled a testing shot toward the Kop goal. From that day on he featured heavily throughout the first part of the 2012-13 campaign, and in October he was rewarded with a new long-term contract. Rodgers said: “At 18, he has demonstrated outstanding technical qualities but also shown very good temperament to play for such a prestigious club. His commitment is very good news for all our young academy players and the excellent work taken place by the academy coaches and staff.”

Samed Yesil
Yesil made his full Liverpool debut in the Reds’ League Cup third-round clash against West Brom at The Hawthorns in September 2012. The 19-year-old was tasked with leading the line on the night, as Stewart Downing, Dani Pacheco and Oussama Assaidi operated in the advanced roles behind him. Yesil had been ruthless at youth international level, firing for fun for Germany, and so Rodgers handed him a first-team debut. Liverpool fell behind after three minutes to a goal from Gabriel Tamas. However, a relatively inexperienced Reds outfit showed bags of resilience against the team that had beat them 3-0 on the opening day of the season.

Nuri Sahin pulled one back after 17 minutes, and with 10 minutes left on the clock, Yesil was withdrawn to make way for Liverpool’s youngest debutant of all-time, Jerome Sinclair. Sahin would strike again a minute later to clinch the win. In the next round of the competition, Rodgers kept his faith in Yesil and named the forward in the starting lineup for the clash against Swansea at Anfield. However, with the home side trailing 1-0 at half-time, Suarez was substituted in place of Yesil for the second 45. A cruciate ligament injury would then rule him out of action for the remainder of the academy’s season.

Jerome Sinclair
Sinclair became the youngest player in Liverpool’s history when he took to the field to replace Yesil at the Hawthorns. At a fresh 16 years and six days, he smashed the record laid down by Jack Robinson, who was 16 years and 250 days old when he made his first appearance against Hull in 2010. Robinson, at left-back, was on hand to applaud Sinclair onto the field with the Reds level at 1-1 against West Brom. To send Sinclair on with the game evenly poised and with Liverpool yet to win a game domestically under his stewardship, the move spoke volumes about Rodgers’ trust in the youngster.

Within a minute, however, Suso had slid the ball to Assaidi, who rolled it into the path of Sahin, and Liverpool clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory. The setting of Sinclair’s record-breaking appearance was significant also — born in Birmingham, he was educated at the Baggies’ academy before moving to Liverpool as a 14-year-old in 2011. His first-team debut came just a week after his maiden appearance for the U-21s in a NextGen Series game with Inter Milan.

Conor Coady
Liverpool U-21 captain Coady had commanded the central-midfield role on academy pitches the length and breadth of the country for years — and in November 2012, the time was right for him to make the much-anticipated step up to the first team. However, when his debut came, it was not how he might have imagined it in his younger days, when he dreamed of playing at Anfield. Rather, his first start came on a snowy winter night in freezing-cold conditions, some 3,000 miles away from the home of the Reds. Anzhi Makhachkala was the opposition and the Dynamo Stadium in Dagestan was the setting for Coady to make his first Liverpool appearance.

Decked out in the somewhat unfamiliar purple, orange and white third strip, the youngster formed part of a midfield axis alongside Jordan Henderson and Jonjo Shelvey. The Reds slipped to defeat as Lacina Traore pounced to fire the decisive goal in the 1-0 win on 45 minutes. Coady would later make his Premier League debut for the Reds when he took to the field to replace Philippe Coutinho in the 88th minute of the final away game of the 2012-13 campaign against Fulham on May 12.

Jordon Ibe
Ibe was snapped up by the Liverpool academy from Wycombe Wanderers at the end of 2011. He had impressed the coaches at his previous club to such an extent that he was given his first-team debut on Aug. 9, 2011, when he was just 15 years old. And on his first start for Wycombe he netted in a 2-1 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday. In the summer of 2012, Rodgers called Ibe into the first-team squad for the trip to North America. And then, on the final day of the 2012-13 campaign, he was handed a Premier League debut against Queens Park Rangers. While it was a poignant day for Reds fans as they said goodbye to a Liverpool legend in Jamie Carragher, many in the crowd were buoyed by the performance of Ibe. Energetic and penetrating from the off, the 17-year-old chipped in with an assist for Coutinho as the Brazilian rifled home the only goal of the 1-0 win.

The quartet revealed the names of those who inspired them at the recent photoshoot for the Reds’ new 2013-14 Warrior home kit, which is available to buy in stores now.

In addition, Gerrard and Co. also discussed what it meant to them to be viewed as a hero by fans all over the globe — and you can watch what they had to say in the video below.

The powerful defender will be registered as a Reds player when his current deal with Manchester City expires.

Toure, 32, will arrive at Anfield boasting a wealth of experience, having represented both City and Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League since switching to English football in 2002, and adding depth to Brendan Rodgers‘ defensive ranks ahead of 2013-14.

The Ivory Coast international, signed by Arsene Wenger from homeland club ASEC Mimosas, made his Gunners debut in the 2002 Community Shield against Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium.

Originally deployed in midfield or at full-back, Toure was moved to center-back for the 2003-04 season and helped Arsenal go the entire league season unbeaten as they swept to the title, adding to the FA Cup they’d lifted the previous season.

He added a second FA Cup medal in 2005, while a year later he was part of the Arsenal side that reached the UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona, having scored the only goal of the two-legged semifinal with Villarreal.

After more than 200 appearances for the Londoners, Toure was firmly established as one of the finest center-backs in the league — and Manchester City duly swooped to sign him in the summer of 2009 and immediately appointed him club captain.

During his four years at Eastlands, he lifted another Premier League title and FA Cup in over 100 appearances for City.

On the international stage, Toure has represented the Ivory Coast at two African Cup of Nations tournaments and two FIFA World Cup finals. He has more than a century of caps for his country, for whom he has also worn the skipper’s armband.

He’ll become the first Ivorian to play for Liverpool when he joins the club.

Photo via Facebook/Kolo Toure

Brendan Rodgers

Jordan Henderson, Jonjo Shelvey, Andre Wisdom and Jack Robinson have been included in the Young Lions’ 23-man squad for the tournament, which takes place in Israel next month.

England will kick off against Italy on June 5 and Rodgers feels the Reds quartet will profit from the experience.

“It’s great for Jordan, Jonjo, Andre and Jack to be part of it,” the manager said. “I always think going to big championships like that is great for their learning.

“All these football experiences are good for them. I’m not one who is against players representing their countries.

“Obviously there needs to be a balance in terms of the demands placed on them but I look upon it as a real positive that we have had four players called up.

“Look at someone like Juan Mata. Two years ago he dropped down from the senior Spain squad to the U21s and helped them win the tournament.

“A year later he was part of the team who won Euro 2012 and then last summer he went off to the Olympics. This season he’s gone on and played more than 60 games.

“Major tournaments can be really beneficial in terms of helping players in their development. I am sure if our four players get that experience this summer then they will come back to us as better players.”

Raheem Sterling missed out on being selected for England U-21s due to injury — and Rodgers insists the winger not taking part is the best decision for all parties as he continues his rehabilitation in order to be fit for the start of next season.

“I spoke to Stuart Pearce about it and our medics were in conversation with the England doctors,” he said. “Everyone was in agreement that we need to look after the long-term situation with Raheem.

“He’s obviously had a chronic problem where he’s been playing and working through it. But we needed to give him recovery and rest. He will be better for that. He’s making progress and he will be fresh for the beginning of the season.”

The Liverpool stopper is one of three goalkeepers picked by coach Vicente del Bosque for the tournament, which kicks off next month.

Reigning world and European champions Spain begin the competition — to be held in Brazil — against Coates and Suarez’s Uruguay on June 16.

Reina and company then face Tahiti four days later before completing their Group B campaign against Nigeria on June 23.

Group A includes hosts Brazil, Italy, Japan and Mexico. The final will take place in Rio de Janeiro on the last day of June.

The No. 2 featured in 36 of the Reds’ 38 league encounters during 2012-13, handsomely beating his previous highest record of 28 appearances.

It’s a result that has provided the right-back with confidence as he switches focus to international duty during the summer.

“I only missed two games in the Premier League this year and that’s nice,” Johnson said. ”Most people say I’m hitting that age where I should be at my prime so I am pleased with how things are going.”

Roy Hodgson‘s England team faces the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday before a landmark meeting with 2014 FIFA World Cup hosts Brazil next Sunday.

Johnson is joined by club teammate Daniel Sturridge in the Three Lions squad and is relishing the opportunity to play at the famous Maracana Stadium.

“I can guarantee that there aren’t many players in that squad who have played in that stadium so I am sure that the lads will be looking forward to it,” he added.

“It will be nice to have it on the CV, definitely. I would say Brazil are the most romantic of teams, purely for variety. They could play their third team and still be very competitive in each major tournament. They have got some unbelievable players. Some players don’t stay around as long as they should do, but the next one that steps in will be just as good so they are always fun to watch.”

The showpiece friendly represents an interim challenge before World Cup qualification resumes in September — and the defender is determined to help his country progress further.

“With the squad we have got we can definitely do better in a major tournament. In each game there are tiny little elements that decide each game,” Johnson said. “A matter of inches can determine if you win, but ratio-wise we have been generally going out around the quarter-final stages so you certainly do want to improve on that.”