Tom Ince

Liverpool

Ince signed for Liverpool as a youth player in 2008 and was handed a first-team squad number (number 45) at the start of the 2010–11 season. On 29 July 2010, he was an unused substitute for the first time in Liverpool's UEFA Europa League qualifier against FK Rabotnički. He made his debut for Liverpool on 22 September 2010 as a 106th-minute substitute for Daniel Pacheco in the club's third round League Cup defeat to Northampton Town at Anfield. On 1 November 2010, Ince linked up with his father Paul Ince, who was the manager of League One club Notts County, signing a short-term loan deal from Liverpool until January 2011. He signed on loan alongside 22-year-old right back Stephen Darby. Ince made his County debut on 6 November in the 2–0 FA Cup first round victory against Gateshead. On 13 November, he made his league debut in the 3–1 away loss to Exeter City. On 11 December, Ince scored his first career goal, in County's 2–0 league win against Milton Keynes Dons. At the end of December 2010, Ince said that joining his father at Notts County had benefited him as he had "got a bit lost" at Liverpool, who had tried to change his style of play. He found that his father "wanted me to be the player that I was" and that the move had "given me a fresher life". Ince scored for County for a second time on 3 January 2011 in a 3–0 win against Hartlepool United before his loan expired on 10 January and he returned to Liverpool. Despite his father's repeated attempts to…

Ince made four appearances for England Under-17s in 2009 and another four for the Under 19s in 2011. On 29 August 2012 he was called up to the Under 21 squad by manager Stuart Pearce for the European Championship qualifying games against Azerbaijan on 1 September and Norway four days later. He made his under-21 debut in the 2–0 win over Azerbaijan at Dalga Arena, Baku. On 5 February 2013, he scored his first goals for the under-21 side, scoring twice in a 4–0 win against Sweden in Walsall. In March 2015, he ruled himself out of selection for future under-21 squads. This caused a great deal of controversy, which shocked Ince.

"Bear in mind I had been playing for the U21s for the past three years, had 20–25 caps, played in the [2013] European Championship under Stuart Pearce. I was 23, and the oldest one there by a good 18 months. I felt at the time I hadn't really played a lot of club football, and I'd been getting banded from pillar to post, and needed a summer off to settle down, and plan my next move. The next move was a vital one... it is time to be kicking on. I went to Croatia in the play-offs to qualify [for the 2015 under-21 championships], and I was on the bench. I made the decision and it was time to move on. Like everything in life, in any job, you get that feeling the time is right to move on." – Ince on his decision to rule himself out of consideration for the England under-21s.

Ince is left-footed and began his career as a left winger. However, when he joined Blackpool, he was often deployed on the right, either as a winger or an inside forward, cutting in on his favoured left foot. He has also played more centrally as an attacking midfielder or forward. Ince's main attributes are his pace, acceleration and skill on the ball. He has said that he enjoys "exciting people, scoring goals, creating goals" and is "not one of those old fashioned wingers who just gets crosses in, I like to create things, show bits of magic."

Ince was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester. He has a younger brother and sister. His father Paul played professional football at the top level with England, Inter Milan, Manchester United and Liverpool. When Ince was three years old he moved to Italy after Paul had signed for Inter Milan where he attended an Italian school and became fluent in Italian, the family spent two years in Italy before returning to England. He has two daughters with Charly Cottrell, the eldest born on 11 July 2013.