Jurgen Klopp has claimed that Curtis Jones looked like ‘an adult with kids around him’ at times during the U21 European Championships recently as he helped England win the tournament for the first time in 39 years.
The Liverpool star impressed throughout the competition and was named man-of-the-match in the final after rather fortuitously scoring the winning goal against Spain.
The 22-year-old ended the campaign in superb form for Klopp’s side and he’ll now seek to continue his strong displays for the Reds next term despite the midfield signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer.
“Yes, Curtis played pretty much each minute of the tournament, one game maybe he didn’t play, but he played a really good tournament in a different role, looked from time to time (like) an adult with kids around him on the other side, he looked really in charge of the things,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com (as quoted by Liverpool Echo).
“He will play probably a different position (for Liverpool) and be more offensive orientated and all these kind of things, but a great achievement, a fantastic achievement.”
Our No. 17 really stepped up and showed his true quality during the run-in as we ended the campaign unbeaten in our final 11 games.
He netted delightful goals against Leicester City and Spurs and it means that big things are expected of him next season.
The Academy graduate’s ability has never been questioned but he’s been unfortunate with injuries and has struggled for rhythm and consistency since bursting onto the scene as a teenager when he netted the winner against Everton at Anfield back in 2020.
Jones has been given an extended break due to his participation at the U21 Euros so he’ll return to the AXA Training Centre later this month before heading to Singapore with the rest of Klopp’s squad.