AS the Three Lions put together for a World Cup with a supposed lack of midfield high quality, three Englishman are heading into the Champions League remaining.

Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been the trio who performed such key roles in Liverpool’s early obliteration of Manchester Metropolis at Anfield earlier this month.

And tonight they are going to be charged with performing the identical job on Roma within the semi-remaining.

A entrance three from Egypt, Senegal and Brazil could also be incomes the loudest plaudits, however Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are constructed on unashamedly English foundations.

Whereas it’s trendy to sneer at English footballers, Reds chief Klopp is just not becoming a member of in.

The German insisted: “In case you have two gamers at the identical degree and one is English and the opposite is from some place else, I all the time go for the English man. They maintain the temper good and really feel the membership’s historical past.

“We’ve got unbelievable guys from everywhere in the world… however the English guys lead the group.”

Henderson — who might find yourself captaining England in Russia and Liverpool in Kiev — has developed an unfussy sense of authority as a footballer and as a person.

And Henderson says he owes quite a bit to Klopp. The 27-yr-previous stated: “He’s top-of-the-line managers on the planet.

“Tactically, that goes with out saying. Off the sector, he’s a implausible human and he has a terrific ardour for soccer.

“He all the time appears for extra. I really feel I’ve improved quite a bit since he got here to the membership.”

Alongside Henderson, the Ox is starting to flourish — and it’s a damning indictment of Arsene Wenger’s waning powers that he appears to have developed additional in eight months beneath Klopp than in six years at the Emirates.

When he hit a belting second objective throughout that blitz of Metropolis, Klopp demanded to know why he didn’t rating extra typically. He’s being pushed on Merseyside in a means he by no means was at Arsenal.

England boss Gareth Southgate was brazenly sceptical when advised the 24-yr-previous was heading to Liverpool as a central midfielder, insisting he noticed him as a wideman.

Now the ex-Gunner might find yourself partnering Henderson within the centre of the park in Russia.

After a troublesome begin at Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain is proving himself centrally and no one is laughing at his £35million charge any extra.

After which there’s the nation’s favorite pit-pony, Milner. When he retired from worldwide obligation at Euro 2016, there was no mourning.

But this most derided of footballers — ridiculed on Twitter however happier than most to snicker about himself — is belatedly incomes appreciation.

The ‘boring James Milner’ picture initially happened due to the teetotaller’s strong however unspectacular type — but his sale as soon as led to Kevin Keegan leaving Newcastle in a match of pique.

There has all the time been a lot to admire about this most sometimes English participant.

And one other huge efficiency towards Roma’s skilled midfield trio of Daniele De Rossi, Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman tonight may depart Southgate asking him to reverse his worldwide retirement.

Simply as Milner’s pure soulmate, Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, has completed…