Spanish fullback Jose Enrique has revealed his Liverpool team-mates are trying to persuade him to switch allegiance and play for England.
Enrique, 25, has impressed at Anfield following his summer transfer from Newcastle United but has yet to win a cap for Spain, the current European and world champions.
Compatriot Manuel Almunia and Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini had been linked with similar switches in the past but neither ever played international football, although Enrique is adamant he still wants to represent the country of his birth.
"Some team-mates have told me to apply for British citizenship but I'm not thinking about doing that because I'm Spanish and I'll either play for Spain or nobody," he said.
"I want to play for Spain. Playing for a club like Liverpool makes you think you'll have more chance of representing your country but it is Vicente del Bosque who decides and I just have to focus on playing well for my club."
And on that note, the left-back is also confident that Liverpool are progressing, something that could give his international credentials a further boost.
"We've gone a year-and-a-half without losing to the Premier League's big four teams. We're doing OK but we can be better. Liverpool should be aspiring to be in the Champions League.
"Winning the Premier League is difficult because there are so many strong teams but you can see now that the ones playing in the Champions League are suffering a bit. We are going to try to take advantage of that."
Enrique has experienced a dramatic turnaround during his time in England. He was signed for Newcastle in 2007 by Sam Allardyce but it took a long time for him to become established.
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