Jonjo Shelvey: I had to leave Liverpool to get a regular place in the England team, now I have to keep improving for Swansea

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Jonjo Shelvey says he had to leave Liverpool to get into England squad
Swansea midfielder won fourth international cap in win over Lithuania
Shelvey hopes to revive Swansea's season with England experience

Published: 19:38 EST, 17 October 2015 | Updated: 19:41 EST, 17 October 2015

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Jonjo Shelvey has said that he will use the boost of being selected for the England team to help Swansea revive their season and refresh their challenge for the Europa League.

Shelvey won his fourth England cap starting against Lithuania on Monday but admits that he would never be in the national team squad had he not left Liverpool for Swansea.

Shelvey said: ‘I was proud to be a Liverpool player, but there came a point when I had to ask myself what I wanted to do.

Jonjo Shelvey started in England's 3-0 win over Lithuania as they topped their Euro 2016 qualifying group

Shelvey believes his move to Swansea has helped him gain a foothold in Roy Hodgson's England squad

‘For me, I wasn't really a Liverpool player if I wasn't in the Liverpool team. I didn't see it as a big decision, just common sense.

‘I knew I'd got to the point in my career where I needed a consistent run of games if I was going to be the player I wanted to be.

'I always had the confidence in myself to believe that if I played every week then I would be able to get myself to the heights of the England squad.

'I think I've proved that. But I need to keep proving it. Maintaining my standards isn't good enough, I've got to get even better.

Shelvey shoots at goal during England's 2-0 win over Switzerland at Wembley in September

‘I didn't want to just be a Liverpool player, I wanted to be in the Liverpool team. I don't just want to be in the England squad, I want to be in the England team. I had to leave Liverpool.

'The only way I'll get a regular place in the England team is to keep performing and improving for Swansea.

‘It's nice to be looked at as the main man at Swansea, the player who makes the team tick. It isn't just about me, of course, I think we've got 10 international players in our team now so we have got a talented group.

Shelvey, celebrating scoring in the Europa League, says he had to leave Liverpool for sake of England career

Shelvey tackles Marouane Fellaini during a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park in October 2012

'But I am expected to control games from the centre of midfield and I like playing with that responsibility.That was why I had to leave Liverpool and it has worked out well for me so far."

And Shelvey says that Swansea's growth in recent years, having won the League Cup in 2013 and finishing eighth last season, shows that the club now needs to be aiming for Europe, despite losing at Watford and Southampton recently, which stalled their impressive start to the season.

Shelvey said: 'There's a lot of expectation at the club and that's something we've got to deal with better.

'We're not little Swansea anymore, we are an established team in the Premier League.