As usual, it was Pep Lijnders who attended Liverpool’s press conference. This has been a regular occurrence now for League Cup games over the last few seasons. And as usual, there was plenty to digest from Lijnders’ words ahead of the Reds’ game against Fulham tomorrow.
Lijnders brought us positive injury updates, including the return of one key man for the game against Fulham. There was also a much needed boost in Curtis Jones’ injury scare from the weekend. And as ever Lijnders praised a few of the club’s academy prospects as well.
Interestingly, the player who everyone wanted to talk about seemed to be Curtis Jones. And the Liverpool assistant manager delivered some high praise for the 22-year-old following his recent performances.
Pep Lijnders praise for Curtis Jones
Lijnders didn’t just praise Jones, but as per The Athletic’s James Pearce, he also revealed that he deserves a call-up to the England national team.
“It’s a no-brainer!” Said Lijnders answering a question about whether Jones should be called-up to the England team. “With and without the ball, he’s the player who sets the tone and always shows initiative.”
Obviously, Lijnders was always going to back his own player. However, to be frankly honest, Jones does deserve to get a call-up. There are not many midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues who have been playing as well as he has in the last few weeks.
He has been a revelation since he came into the side after another bout of injury. And he has well and truly made the left-sided central midfield spot his own. Truly, the sky is the limit for his potential, and the next natural step in his development would be a Three Lions call-up. Gareth Southgate would be a very smart man to heed Pep Lijnders’ advice. Jones could be a huge asset for the national team.
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