Pre-season has provided Liverpool hopeful Curtis Jones an opportunity to impress, and this should just be the start for the young Scouse midfielder.
Playing for the Reds should be a big deal for any 17-year-old, but born in Toxteth and raised on Merseyside the significance will be even more so for Jones.
The youngest player in Klopp’s pre-season squad, Jones made his first-ever appearance for the first team in the 7-0 win over Chester and playing another 45 minutes in the 3-2 victory at Tranmere.
Alongside the likes of Kamil Grabara (19), Ben Woodburn (18), Rafa Camacho (18) and Rhian Brewster (18), the teenager represents one of the biggest young prospects on the fringes at Anfield.
But who is Jones, what can he offer Liverpool and what are his short and long-term hopes?
Curtis Jones
Age: 17
Position: Attacking midfielder
Signed from: N/A
Having both made his debut for the U18s and trained with Klopp’s senior squad for the first time at the age of 15, Jones has long been ahead of the curve.
Jones joined the Reds at U9 level, and has benefited from a tutelage of the club’s impressive academy staff as he works his way through the ranks, aided by his prodigious talent.
This progress continued from his U18 breakthrough at the end of 2016 until he made the step up to U23 level at the beginning of 2018, in a 3-2 defeat to Man City when he was still just 16.
He signed his first professional deal with Liverpool in February ahead of being drafted into first-team training on a regular basis, and was named on the substitutes’ bench for April’s 0-0 draw with Everton.
Jones travelled with Klopp’s squad for Premier League and Champions League clashes, providing him with invaluable experience training alongside the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.
His approach is, in part, comparable with both of Klopp’s first-choice wingers, but the anticipation around Jones’ development largely stems from vast potential in a variety of roles.
Jones is a fleet-footed, creative talent who can play on either flank, behind the striker and deeper in the midfield, with his natural tendency to drive at defences a key threat.
His pace and dribbling ability making him a devastating prospect for centre-backs and full-backs alike, with his passing range and third-man runs lending him an unpredictability that saw him score and assist consistently in 2017/18.
Stepping up through the ranks so swiftly highlights both a fearlessness and an willingness to adjust and adapt, and despite being just 17 he is more physically adept than many of his peers.
It remains to be seen which role he settles into, but early signs in pre-season suggest Klopp envisages him as an attacking midfielder, and his assist for Harry Wilson‘s second against Chester warranted his inclusion.
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Published by This is Anfield 11/07/18
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