Midfielder Curtis Jones has turned a lot of heads this season, but that should be no surprise for Liverpool fans who have seen the youngster go from strength to strength over the last couple of years.
Under Jurgen Klopp, the Scouser has gone from an Academy prospect to a first-team squad player.
Jones has been afforded a lot more chances this season than perhaps he’d have expected, but he’s relished the opportunities and smashed it almost every time we’ve seen him.
With Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita spending time on the side-lines, and Fabinho forced to play in defence in the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, our No.17 has pretty much been a nailed-on starter since October.
His latest performance – before being afforded a rest against Crystal Palace – was in the 2-1 win over Spurs at Anfield, which had Gary Lineker tweet: ‘What a lovely footballer Curtis Jones is. Gonna be a helluva player.’
What a lovely footballer @curtisjr_10 is. Gonna be a helluva player. 👏🏻👏🏻
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) December 16, 2020
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Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, typical co-host Alan Shearer also expressed how impressed he is with Jones – citing the Scouser’s confidence as one of his key attributes.
“I thought he was absolutely sensational. When you consider who he was up against – Hojbjerg and Sissoko have been brilliant for Spurs this season – his confidence was superb,” the Newcastle legend is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo.
“His willingness and eagerness to try things, his flicks and tricks and passes. His driving forward and energy was magnificent. So, all in all, he wasn’t far away from being my man of the match.
“He’s 19, isn’t he? The other youngster in the team, Rhys Williams, is 19 as well and I thought both of them showed great maturity in how they handled the situation.
“They weren’t overawed at all, it didn’t stop them from trying one or two things and having the belief and confidence to do that.
“If you had just come in and were watching that game for the first time, without knowing who they were, you’d have thought these boys would have been around for years.“