Jamie Redknapp says 22-year-old may be Liverpool’s most important player with Mo Salah away

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Jamie Redknapp has highlighted who Liverpool’s most important player is right now.

The Reds are currently missing a number of high-profile stars as they battle injuries and international duty. Trent Alexander-Arnold is the latest absentee, a blow given his brilliant form of late.

But with Trent out and Mohamed Salah away with Egypt, Liverpool have needed somebody to step up.

The first test without their usual right-hand side came last night against Fulham in the Carabao Cup. It looked like they may not at times, but it was a test Liverpool eventually came through, thanks to their substitutes.

And although both Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez were key to the win, it was Curtis Jones who picked up the game’s Man of the Match award. Jones bagged the Reds equaliser on the night, his fourth goal in six games. As a result, speaking to Sky Sports, Redknapp suggested that it’s actually the academy graduate who is now Liverpool’s ‘main man.’

“Curtis at the moment is almost becoming the main man, I’m so pleased for him,” said the former Reds captain.

Jones growing in stature

Jones really is in a nice little run of form for Liverpool. With Dominik Szoboszlai going down with injury, they’ve needed his thrust from midfield.

We still think it’s a stretch to call him the team’s main man in Salah’s absence, mind you.

Virgil van Dijk is clearly absolutely key to Liverpool’s success, so too is Alisson Becker. We’d place them ahead of Jones right now.

We’d probably also highlight Nunez as another who has really become an important player of late. It was really Darwin who turned last night’s game on its head, not Curtis.

Nevertheless, we can see where Redknapp is coming from, too. Van Dijk and Alisson are key to Liverpool’s defensive stability, but as a box-to-box midfielder, everything comes through Jones.

The Reds can be as solid as they want at the back, but if the midfield isn’t there to connect things, it won’t lead to games being won. Lately, Jones has been doing that with aplomb. He’s arguably in the form of his career.

We’ve seen these little runs before from Curtis, though. The challenge now is sustaining this and truly cementing his spot in Liverpool’s midfield.

Until he does that once and for all, we don’t think the 22-year-old can be seen as being Klopp’s main player. But in this mood, don’t bet against him.