Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has suggested that he won’t put up a fight if he’s told to leave on loan next season.
Jones has had a difficult campaign, injury and ineffective form limiting him to just 12 appearances in all competitions. This has led to some questions over whether he remains in Jurgen Klopp’s long-term plans.
With Liverpool ready to revamp their midfield this summer, the 22-year-old could be one of the casualties. But speaking to The Athletic today, Jones said he wasn’t worried about his position in the squad.
“It doesn’t faze me, I don’t care (who we sign). I am a confident lad and I know that I have the backing of the staff here,” said the academy graduate.
However, Jones did then concede that if he is told to look for a loan, he’s confident that he’ll be able to shine elsehwere.
“If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then there are options there that I already know of anyway,” he said. “Then I can show I am good enough to come back. But we’ll see. I am not worried about that.
“It’s not something that we have spoken about at all. It’s not like they have said, ‘Look, we’re going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that’. I am here to play. I still back myself to succeed here. Of course I do.”
Jones not quite doing enough
It’s good to hear that Jones is still backing himself at Liverpool, because not many among the fan base still are. That might sound harsh, but there is now a serious question mark over his suitability moving forward.
At twenty-two, he’s no longer a young academy boy. Jones needs to be competing to start on a regular basis. He has the talent to do it, but this season he has looked miles off where he should be by this stage.
Still, Tuesday night was perhaps a step in the right direction. It might not have been the most eye-catching display, but by his own admission he was ‘decent’ against Chelsea. And by and large he was.
Whether those kind of cameos are enough for Jurgen Klopp – or indeed Jones himself – is a question that needs to be answered. With so much change proposed in the Liverpool midfield this summer, it would be a surprise to see the Scouser move on. But if we’re in this same position in 12 months time, perhaps it really will be time to go.
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