Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has shared the unusual reason why he isn’t allowed to train every day.
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, the 22-year-old spoke of his recovery from serious injury, and how the club are managing any further setbacks.
“They have said it is something they have never seen before,” said Jones.
“It came back three times. It’s been a difficult time, but the staff have handled it well. There is a specialist on board now, so we just follow the plan.
“I’ve been on a schedule where I am only allowed to train for four days on the pitch and then I have to have a day off. So if the day off comes at the same time as a game (as it did last Saturday, when Liverpool played Manchester City) then I can’t do much.
“You just rest it. In terms of the pain and stuff now, that’s gone. It’s just about managing how much time I’m on the pitch, but it is hard because at the same time, if I don’t train then how can the manager pick me to play?”
The U21 England international has been suffering from a stress response in his tibia (shinbone).
Jones shares his unusual schedule
As Jones picks out at the end there, he faces a difficult predicament: sit out of training or run the risk of not getting picked to play.
As a 22-year-old, the midfielder needs all of the game-time he can get, in order to improve and solidify himself as a regular first-team player.
While he has been touted to reach great heights due to his fantastic technical ability, the youngster hasn’t been able to kick on in the way he would have hoped to.
With a specialist now working on his recovery, Jones needs to keep going. He will earn his chances, as he did against Chelsea, and he will continue to develop.
If minutes do prove hard to come by, perhaps a loan move could be the best course of action for the £47,000-a-week Liverpool playmaker.
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