Liverpool hero Jamie Carragher’s son receives senior international call up as he gears up for debut with surprise country despite being English

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher’s son James has received his maiden senior international call-up, but not for England. The 22-year-old Wigan Athletic defender will instead set his sights on helping Malta in their World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Poland.

Carragher, who grew up in England, qualifies to represent Malta through both of his grandparents, who are from the Mediterranean nation. In September, he was awarded citizenship by Malta, paving the way for him to play for their national side.

He has played a crucial role for Wigan this season, featuring 22 times in League One. Malta Football Association president Bjorn Vassallo confirmed that discussions were ongoing with James about playing for Malta (via SPORTBible):

"We’ve been in talks with James and his father, Jamie, for the last few months now; he is open to it, but we’re still working on it. We will not shy from signing players internationally; everyone is doing it, so why not us?"

Malta has a challenging World Cup qualifying campaign ahead, with fixtures against stronger teams like Poland and Finland. James Carragher has a chance to make his senior debut in the upcoming international break when they take on Poland on March 24.

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Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reveals reason behind Gunners' struggles

Arsenal’s recent struggles in finding the net have led to calls for a new striker for the Gunners, but Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed their true problem is creativity. On Monday Night Football, Carragher suggested that Mikel Arteta’s team didn’t fail to convert chances. On the contrary, they didn’t make enough.

The Liverpool icon explained (via Sky Sports):

"But the problem they have is not a finishing problem. It's a creation problem. They don't create enough chances. That's the biggest problem that they've got right now."

The former Liverpool defender also argued that Arsenal would not meet expectations with their goalscoring, even if they had Erling Haaland in the team. While they have scored 52 goals in 28 league games, their chance creation figures are at the level of Crystal Palace, who are 11th in the league (via Sky Sports).

Arsenal have managed a single goal in their last three Premier League matches, causing them to slip in the title race. They now look likely to finish in second place on the league table for the third consecutive season, with Liverpool now strong favorites to lift the trophy.