Nations competing at this winter's World Cup in Qatar will be allowed to name three additional players in their squad, FIFA has confirmed.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, nations had only been able to name a 23-man squad for major international tournaments. However, last summer's European Championships saw UEFA allow all of those involved to name a 26-man squad for the finals, which were held in varying cities across Europe, but only a 23-man squad for match days.
This meant managers such as Gareth Southgate were required to drop a handful of players for each game they played in the tournament.
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However, the new rule change which will be in place for the World Cup in Qatar allows managers to name up to 15 substitutes on the bench per game, which will ultimately hand those on the periphery of their international squads the chance of featuring at the showpiece event later this year.
In the case of Liverpool, it means that a further three players could be jetting off to the Middle East for the finals in November.
Thiago Alcantara, who was part of Luis Enrique's Spain squad that reached the semi-final of last summer's Euros, has only been included in one international squad since their penalty shootout defeat to Italy last July.
Despite having always been perceived as an integral part of the squad by his manager Jurgen Klopp, away from Anfield his stock has risen significantly since the turn of the year - as he's been able to put his injury troubles behind him - to the point where he was one of six Liverpool players named in the PFA team of the season; alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
The Spaniard received a recall to Spain's squad for the latest round of Nations League fixtures in June but following the injury he sustained against Wolves on the final day of the season, the 31-year-old withdrew from Enrique's squad.
Roberto Firmino is another member of the Reds' squad that has seen his international minutes cut over the last twelve months as a result of the recent injection of youth in the Brazil squad.
As the Brazilian's minutes at the club level have dwindled because of the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, Firmino has subsequently been left out of Tite's squad since last summer's Copa America.
The return to fitness of Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli, and the emergence of Ajax's Anthony, had meant that Liverpool's No.9 was facing a difficult task to secure a place on Brazil's plane for the finals this winter.
The final member of the Liverpool squad who could be set to benefit from the latest announcement is defender Joe Gomez.
The defender endured a torrid season at Anfield last year because of Joel Matip's stellar form and prolonged fitness, in addition to the signing of Ibrahima Konate, which meant Gomez's opportunities to impress were few and far between in even the thick of Liverpool's 63-game long treble hunt.
However, it is expected that the England defender will have a more prominent role on Merseyside during the upcoming campaign as he bids to return alongside Virgil van Dijk as the Reds' first-choice defensive duo.
It is also expected that club officials will meet with the defender once he returns to pre-season training in July as the club look to thrash out a deal to tie one of the country's finest defenders down to a new long-term deal.
Having not been recalled to the England squad since he suffered a knee injury in November 2020, if the 25-year-old is handed the minutes during the early stages of next season he could find himself knocking on Southgate's door ahead of the tournament in Qatar.
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