Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has been on a specialised training programme for most of the current season.
Jones has had a renaissance of late, starting the Reds’ last five games. But prior to that little run, the 22-year-old had a single Premier League start to his name in 2022/23.
According to Jurgen Klopp though, that lack of action has largely been down to a ‘freakish’ injury. Speaking in his pre-Tottenham press conference earlier today, the manager shared the difficulties Jones has faced during the season.
“That he now has five games in a row is great. It didn’t look for a long time during the season that these kinds of things would be possible,” Klopp explained. “He had a freakish injury, we had to be careful with him. Super, super, super careful with him, even when he was back in training he was not allowed to train properly.
“When he came back we were still involved in European football, that means we don’t train properly. That makes it really difficult for players who come back to get up to speed. It was super difficult to organise. But there was a moment he could train normally again and it was clear pretty quickly from a physical point of view that he looked ready.”
Klopp keeps Jones in his thoughts
Throughout this season Klopp has made a point of mentioning Jones’ injury woes. The academy graduate would surely have been in the manager’s plans had he been fit all season.
To some supporters, Jones will never quite be good enough. But Jurgen clearly rates him very highly indeed. Over this handful of games, you’ve been able to see why.
Clever in possession and quite physically imposing, the Scouser is the kind of midfielder that Liverpool have been missing. It’s surely no coincidence that the Reds haven’t lost any of the five games he’s started over the last month.
As we look ahead to the summer, Jones has sent a reminder that Liverpool do already have some answers within the squad. Obviously, he first of all absolutely needs to stay consistently fit. If he can do that though, Klopp will count on him for next season.
That may upset one or two fans who would prefer to see a new face fill Jones’ role. But with a proper season of playing and training under his belt, our No.18’s ceiling is still very high.
It may ultimately be that Jones never lives up to his potential at Anfield. That’s the way things have looked for a little while. But for the first time in some time there’s real hope that he just might.