West Brom stars aiming to make an impact on the international stage
Five Albion players are set to feature for their national teams during the current international break.
Semi Ajayi, Dara O’Shea, Callum Robinson, Conor Gallagher and Kamil Grosicki have all received call-ups to represent their countries in games taking place over the coming days.
Towering centre-back Ajayi has been included in the Nigeria squad for their two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Sierra Leone.
The first clash takes place on Friday with a 4pm kick-off.
The second is then scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, and also kicks off at 4pm.
Nigeria currently sit top of their qualification group having won both of their opening matches.
Promising defender O’Shea and forward Robinson are away with the Republic of Ireland squad.
Stephen Kenny’s men face England at Wembley in a friendly tomorrow – a match which kicks off at 8pm.
The Boys in Green will use that game as preparation for two UEFA Nations League matches.
The Republic of Ireland travel to take on Wales on Sunday.
They will then host Bulgaria on Wednesday, November 18.
Winger Kamil Grosicki is in line to feature for Poland, who have one friendly and two UEFA Nations League games.
Poland face Ukraine tonight as a warm-up for competitive matches against European giants Italy on Sunday, November 15 (7.45pm) and then Holland next Wednesday.
Albion’s final call-up is midfielder Gallagher who has been outstanding ever since joining the Baggies on loan from Chelsea.
That form has been rewarded with a call-up to the England under-21 squad.
The Young Lions have already secured their spot at the UEFA Under-21 Championships.
But they still have two qualifiers to play – against Andorra on Friday and Albania next Tuesday.
Gallagher, who has previously won five caps for the under-21s, has won widespread praise from Albion’s fans since joining the club on a temporary basis.
And his displays have also impressed Baggies skipper Jake Livermore – who has lined up alongside him in the middle of the park.
“Conor’s been fantastic for me,” Livermore said.
“His energy levels and quality in training every day is a steal for us and I’m tipping him to be a top, top player.
“He wants to learn and has great ability going forward, but on the flip side he’s more than responsible at tracking back and he’s just got bags of energy.
“The athleticism that he’s got is what the game is becoming now and he’s got that in abundance.
“He’s been very impressive and I think he can be a really important player for us this season.”
