UEFA panel blown away by what Curtis Jones did for England U21s tonight

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Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has been hailed for his performance in the Euro U21s final tonight.

Following his Man of the Match award in Wednesday’s semi-final, uefa.com once again named Jones as the best player of the pitch as England won this evening’s final.

The 22-year-old ended up being the match winner, deflecting Cole Palmer’s free-kick in with his backside. It wasn’t the prettiest goal you’ll ever see, but it was enough to win the Young Lions their first title in 39 years.

It also surely helped in the decision to award Jones as Man of the Match. After the game, UEFA shared a quote from their Technical Observer panel who decided the winner.

“He [Jones] was always on the ball at the right time, he played excellently between the lines and showed himself to be a real leader of the team,” they said.

Well in and congrats, Curtis!

Jones ends season on a high

Jones has had quite the couple of months. After forcing his way back into the Liverpool team in April, the Scouser has gone from strength to strength.

His displays towards the end of the season marked him out as a genuine option for Jurgen Klopp for the first time in a while. Calls that he could be sold have given way to hope that he’s now ready to fulfil his massive potential.

And Jones’ time away with England has only cemented that hope further.

Although a little older than some of his teammates at 22, the Reds man has at times looked a cut above.

Harvey Elliott may have played a lot more than Jones for Liverpool last season, but he was resigned to the bench for much of this tournament. Jones was the main man, and was unlucky not to scoop the Player of the Tournament award, which went to Anthony Gordon.

It all bodes extremely well for what to expect from Jones next season. He’s the same age as new arrival Dominik Szoboszlai and he could be fighting the Hungarian for a spot in the team.

For now, most supporters would have the new man in their predicted starting XI’s. But you can never write Curtis off. We’ve got a superb player here, we need to make sure he gets his opportunities.