The Liverpool Academy has had plenty to laugh about in the first few weeks of the season, but no player has progressed further to a senior level than Curtis Jones.
Caoimhin Kelleher was added to a list last night that already included Williams’ Neco and Rhys, while Jake Cain, Leighton Clarkson and Vitezslav Jaros were all on the bench, and the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold has long surpassed that status.
Of those who have left the Academy – now on the same site as Liverpool’s first team training ground in Kirkby – Jones has progressed further than anyone in the last 12 months.
Any of the other names could make a similar leap in the coming year, but Jones is now rightly and firmly considered a first-team player.
This season, Jones has already scored three goals and assisted once, but since then he has turned himself into a more rounded midfielder, who is now almost as good as he has in the future.
The level of confidence Jurgen Klopp has in him was evident against Brighton, in fact, when he was brought in as a right back in place of the injured James Milner with 20 minutes to play.
His strength still lies in his ability to come forward, but to be a Klopp midfielder you need more than one skill.
“He’s quite unique and every time I look at him I think he’s got something really special,” said Owen Hargreaves during the Champions League highlights show from BT Sport.
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“He scored early in the game and I think he’s going to get goals. He’s playing with a certain arrogance and confidence that I think you need – it’s healthy.
“The only thing he does very well is arrive in the box at great moments.
“[The shot that hit the post in the first half] reminds me of Steven Gerrard – he used to hit everything so hard. He hits it almost too perfectly, but I love that about him – he’s always there in the right places.
“[The goal] sums it up, and I love Neco Williams’ ball by the way. The right foot is not on, so he puts it in a position with his left.
“Jones’ finish and the way he guides it … frankly, that’s class. That’s a class player and for a 19-year-old to finish like that, he sums him up because he has something very unique.”
A similar sentiment was echoed in the Post-Game podcast after Liverpool topped Group D with their win over Ajax.
“Curtis Jones needs to get a ton of credit,” said Mark Baker.
“I think he’s a real player and what a tough finish – to be able to play on the outside of his right shoe that first time can’t be underestimated.
“He’s sniffing out opportunities and is always a threat to goal. The question was always whether he could adapt and fit into Klopp’s three-man midfield system, but he has and acts like a veteran pro.”
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Jones now has six goals in 25 senior Liverpool appearances. Gerrard only scored once for Liverpool as a teenager, so Jones is in the lead in that regard.
Asking Jones to reach the same level as Gerrard throughout his career would be unfair, but early signs are good that the Toxteth-born midfielder could have a great career at Anfield.
“Stevie was one of the best players I’ve ever played with,” added Hargreaves. But it only shows how far he is at the age of 19.
“Producing for a team as good as this shows just how talented Curtis Jones is.”
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