Klopp urged to give 21-year-old ‘opportunities’ after ‘showing himself worthy’ in Liverpool midfield
Joleon Lescott thinks Curtis Jones has proved himself “worthy” of being a regular starter in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool midfield.
Jones has started the Reds’ previous three Premier League matches, playing 77 minutes of the 3-1 home win against West Ham on Sunday.
He is yet to provide a goal contribution this term but has enjoyed a strong start to the campaign in Klopp’s midfield trio.
It has been a summer of change in the middle of the park at Anfield and Jones is certainly proving his worth as a hard-working box-to-box player.
Sunday’s showing against the Hammers earned him a lot of praise and former England and Manchester City centre-back Lescott named the 22-year-old stars of the Premier League matchday.
Lescott said he thinks Jones can be a big player for Liverpool if given a proper run of games.
FEATURE: Ranking England U21s by chance of going to Euro 2024: Chelsea pair in top five
“Liverpool’s midfield has had a serious revamp this season but Curtis Jones is showing himself worthy of a regular place in it,” he said.
“Curtis is someone I worked closely with at the European Under-21 Championship over the summer and I knew he was ready to shine if given a proper chance.
“Too often, we see big teams look to the transfer market for experienced additions when they have homegrown talent right under their nose.
“If Jurgen Klopp keeps giving Curtis the opportunities, he’s only going to go one way and I can see him thriving for many years to come at Anfield.”
BBC Sport Merseyside’s Paul Salt was another to give Jones praise after his showing against David Moyes’ side.
“His work rate was so good, on the ball, dribbling,” Salt said on The Red Kop Podcast. “He has come on leaps and bounds.
“Don’t forget he’s playing in a really new midfield, there’s two brand new players in there. They’re going to get a better relationship the more they play together.”
Klopp signed Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister for around £100million at the start of the summer transfer window but the sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson saw Ryan Gravenberch come to the club on deadline day.
READ MORE: Six exciting future transfers: €100m Man Utd bid, Spurs seal £12m teen for 2025; Liverpool windfall
