21-year-old Liverpool player will love what he’s just returned to: he won’t believe his luck

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Curtis Jones finds himself in a dream situation with Liverpool’s 4-4-2. The Scouser has been out for months now.

Curtis Jones has been out since the Community Shield win over Manchester City. When he played in that game, Liverpool were in their usual 4-3-3 system and things looked very positive for the team.

Jones’s worry will have been playing time. The midfield roles were full of competition, with the 21-year-old suiting the left-side of the three. Thiago, James Milner, Naby Keita and Fabio Carvalho also wanted that role, however.

And in a settled Liverpool side, it made it difficult for Jones to play. It’s also a role he hasn’t quite perfected – not quite attacking enough for a player who made his name as a creative player.

But Jones also lacks the pace to play as an out-and-out left-winger. Liverpool relied on that position for goals and speed – not the player’s strengths.

However, things at Liverpool fell apart as Jones was gone. Jurgen Klopp actually had to move away from his 4-3-3, shifting to a 4-4-2 that’s now becoming the Reds’ settled system.

We imagine Jones can’t quite believe his luck there.

Curtis Jones in Liverpool’s 4-4-2

The 4-4-2 creates a new position with a wide-left midfielder. Not quite a winger but far more attacking than a central midfielder. There’s little need for the player to run in behind as there are two strikers, while Darwin Nunez wants the channel on that side to himself when he’s playing up top.

Thus Jones now has the position he likes. In fact, Jones built his reputation at the club by developing on the left of attack, typically in a 4-2-3-1. He had a licence to drift inside behind the forwards, creating for them and playing with freedom as an attacking player between the lines.

That’s exactly what Liverpool need from the left-sided role right now. They have plenty of pace up top and Jones can offer balance, much as Carvalho and Harvey Elliott have. Jones would be able to slot in behind Nunez and have that space to himself – where there’s no longer a False 9.

On top of it all, both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota are out until after the World Cup. Not only is the left-midfield role perfect for Jones but there isn’t a guaranteed starter there right now and won’t be for months.

The 21-year-old has his opportunity to stake a claim for it – and maybe show what he can really do.