Shelvey Called into England Squad

It was clear during the preseason outings that Jonjo Shelvey was on his way--he looked stronger physically, more confident in possession, and, while performances in friendlies aren't necessarily known for having any sort of meaningful correlation to future success (hi, Andriy Voronin!), potentially someone who would be able to have an impact on the first team sooner rather than later.

And as it turns out, he's done just that, proving to be one of Brendan Rodgers' pet players and finding himself as one of the club's go-to midfielders prior to suspension. He's raw and overexuburant, particularly without the ball, but he's also apparently going to be a key part of Rodgers' squad for the future. If he can manage to reign in some of the lack of discipline that led to the aforementioned suspension (and a number of fouls prior that were likely worse) while still maintaining a high level of energy and activity, it's clear that he's got a chance to be one of the stronger attack-minded midfielders in the Premier League.

So it's not too much of a surprise that Roy Hodgson has picked Shelvey to join up with the senior squad today, with another round of World Cup 2014 qualifiers on tap for the coming week. The former Liverpool manager seemed fond of the then 18 year-old during his brief tenure, picking him for a handful of matches in league and cup competition. Shelvey will join Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand as the new faces, but neither are necessarily favorites to see much match action, with the former expected to rejoin the U21s for the second leg of their playoff tie with Serbia, and the former behind both Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines on the depth chart.