‘He was buzzing’: £15k-a-week player loved what Liverpool let him do this weekend

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Curtis Jones was said to be ‘buzzing’ that Liverpool allowed him to play for the U21s at the weekend. It was exactly what he needed.

Curtis Jones was a surprise starter for Liverpool as their Under 21 side lost 2-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. The Scouser played the first half in attempt to build up his match-fitness – it’s been a difficult time with injuries in recent seasons, after all.

In fact, Jones wanted to play for longer. He apparently requested that they let him play the second half but Liverpool wouldn’t let him. On the orders of Jurgen Klopp, Jones was to play 45 minutes and no longer – the watching Klopp even went home.

And perhaps it shouldn’t be a shock that Jones wanted more minutes. Manager Barry Lewtas says he was ‘buzzing’ to be back with the academy side.

“He was buzzing to be back in the Academy, he’d forgotten what it looked like,” said Lewtas, per the Liverpool Echo. “The empty stands, there’s no worry, no-one’s going to criticise.

“Curtis is a great character, a really special character as a person. For someone like him, he’s been through this journey. When he comes down, he does it properly.”

Curtis Jones with Liverpool U21s

It seems a little telling that Lewtas knows Jones likes the lack of attention when he’s playing in the youth team. Jones, who Capology believe is on just £15k per week, is a player who gets quite a lot of stick from certain sections of the fanbase.

Thus playing in front of coaches probably is a breath of fresh air. Especially for a player who is unfairly criticised at times.

We’ve all seen what Jones can do, after all. He’s had some brilliant games in Red, dominating Champions League games and scoring important goals.

But injuries have meant that Jones simply doesn’t have the number of minutes under his belt that he should do. He’s been on the sidelines far too often, unable to get on the pitch and develop properly.

And so dropping down into the U21s will do him a world of good. Hopefully, it’s something Liverpool can lean into a little more as we can only see it having a positive effect.