Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones underlined his important to Arne Slot with his performance at Crystal Palace last Saturday
He’ll never be the shiny new signing so demanded from certain Liverpool supporters. But anybody wanting to know why Curtis Jones remains an important figure for the Reds during the Arne Slot era need only witness his performance at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Jones made his first Premier League start of the season – and most recent such appearance since the Goodison derby defeat at Everton in April – as replacement for Dominik Szoboszlai in the number 10 role.
When Liverpool trotted out for the second half, however, the 23-year-old had been moved back alongside Ryan Gravenberch on the left of the double defensive pivot after Alexis Mac Allister was forced off with a groin complaint.
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It says much, then, that when an exhausted Jones was replaced with one minute of regulation time remaining, he was afforded a round of high fives from the Liverpool bench. They know the shift the midfielder had put in.
The ability of Jones to play in all three engine room positions under Slot will make him a valuable asset to the Reds head coach, particularly with the schedule and intensity of games ramping up further during the next raft of fixtures.
His versatility will allow for rotation and provide Jones with an opportunity to stake his claim for more permanent inclusion when the inevitable injuries begin to bite into the squad the deeper Liverpool go into the season.
Having started pre-season with Jones in a defensive midfield role, Slot has been keen to give the player game time following his return from a minor muscle problem early in the campaign, Jones having started two of the last four games – claiming a good assist in the League Cup win over West Ham United – and playing some part in six of the last seven.
And there is an extra incentive for Jones in the shape of international recognition. He made England’s provisional squad for the Euros in the summer, and scored the winner in the European Under-21 Championship the previous year when working with current interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley.
“Curtis would be up there with the most talented players I’ve worked with,” said Carsley last year. “He’s got everything that you need as a midfielder. He can run, he is very, very fast, he’s powerful, he can score, he can assist, he can defend, he can take the ball – all he needs is opportunity.
“The way he’s played when I’ve seen him play, he’s been outstanding. He just needed to stay fit.”
Speaking to the ECHO in August, Jones said: “I’m happy that Lee is there, he knows me and he knows how good I am as a player, and he knows how much I have to offer in terms of the way he wants to play.
“I’m excited for him and his staff. I want to be part of his team. But I have to show it at Liverpool first.”
Jurgen Klopp, who gave Jones his senior way back in January 2019, once said Liverpool “will have some fun” with the midfielder.
Now Jones is maturing into the joker in Slot’s pack who can prove the difference in midfield.
