Kelly made his U21s debut earlier this year against Uzbekistan – and scored.

Last night he didn’t play, but two goals from Sunderland’s on-loan striker Danny Welbeck and another from Aston Villa’s Marc Albrighton gave Stuart Pearce’s side a 3-0 victory.

Kelly added: “It was one of my targets last season.

“When I played for the U19s, I was telling my family I wanted to play for the U21s.

“Going to work with a manager like Stuart Pearce was brilliant, as was working with all the top young players who are coming through and just breaking into the senior squads at their clubs.”

Liverpool confirmed yesterday that Dirk Kuyt, meanwhile, will be out of action for four weeks with a shoulder injury.

The club’s medical team examined the Dutchman following his early return from international duty.

Liverpool’s head of sports medicine and sports s cience Dr Peter Brukner said: “Dirk has damaged his shoulder at the A-C joint, which is between the collar bone and the shoulder.

“He is likely to be out for four weeks.”

The Dutch media have reported that the injury was sustained after Kuyt fell awkwardly attempting a bicycle kick in training.

The 30-year-old now appears likely to miss games against Birmingham, Steaua Bucharest, Manchester United, Northampton, Sunderland and an emotional return to former club Utrecht.