Curtis Jones faces one of his toughest tests yet with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nearing a comeback. The teenager has found himself as a starting XI player.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain won’t return to face Wolves but Jurgen Klopp says things look ‘promising’ as the player returns to training.
The 27-year-old hasn’t played at all this season thanks to an injury but it sounds like we’ll see him soon. But Oxlade-Chamberlain will come back to a team with a new attacking-midfield star – Curtis Jones.
Tough test
Jones is flying at the moment. He’s playing his best football yet and even netted the winner against Ajax in midweek. The teenager is undoubtedly a fully-fledged member of the first-team squad.
Jones has a clear place in the squad, too. He’s the attacking-midfielder of the middle three. Liverpool usually play with a holding player, a box-to-box player, and then either a second box-to-box player or someone more attacking.
And the 19-year-old has found a good role as the latter. There aren’t many in the squad who can play it well, given the defensive commitments on top of producing at the top end.
One of those players, however, is Oxlade-Chamberlain – a player Klopp says has put in ‘incredible’ performances there. At his best, that’s undoubtedly his role at the club and he’ll be a true rival to Jones for it. A rival Jones hasn’t really had yet.
It’ll be a real test. For both players, in truth. Oxlade-Chamberlain has to prove his experience counts for more than Jones’ potential or his role at the club is under threat.
For Jones, though, we’ll see how truly ready he is. If he sees off the competition for his place, he could make it his for a very, very long time.
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