Curtis Jones is a player who has divided opinion among Liverpool fans ever since his debut for the first team in 2019.
The Liverpool native has proved himself to be a trustworthy option for Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp despite his tender age and has already reached 100 appearances for the club at the age of 22 as he became just the third player from the club's academy in the last 25 years to reach that milestone, joining former captain Steven Gerrard and current team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the club.
As many fans have said, you don't make 100 appearances for Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp (especially by 22 years old) if you aren't a talented player. Regardless of Klopp's thoughts, fans continue to debate whether the midfielder can genuinely become a consistent starter in Liverpool's best 11.
He Could Play in the Defensive Midfield Position
While Jones' natural position is the number eight where he plays as a box-to-box midfielder, he occupies the number six position for the England U21 team and certainly has attributes that could make him a viable option in the position for Klopp at Liverpool.
Following the departure of Fabinho earlier this summer, Liverpool bought Wataru Endō but failed to bring in a like-for-like replacement for the Brazilian, instead bringing in Dutch midfielder Ryan Gravenberch on transfer deadline day.
Whether Klopp couldn't secure the signature of a natural defensive midfielder (as we saw during the transfer sagas of Roméo Lavia and Moisés Caicedo) or he's going a different direction with the midfielders he has, Liverpool decided not to enter the January transfer window.
Jones's ability to control the tempo of a game and his brilliant passing ability makes him a good option to be the orchestrator of the team and his 6'1 frame doesn't make him undersized for the position.
He Faces Too Much Competition
iverpool's midfield rebuild this summer has brought in top talent such as Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch in a much-needed reboot of the club's engine room.
While they've been welcome arrivals for the fans, the likes of Jones and Elliott will no doubt get fewer starts in the Premier League.
Elliott, a mainstay in Liverpool's last season, has exclusively come off the bench for the team due to Szoboszlai taking his place in the team and the same goes for Jones with Mac Allister occupying his favoured left central midfield position.
While Jones may not be the first name in midfield, he'll receive plenty of game-time throughout the season as Liverpool are in four competitions as he could earn the right to be a consistent starter in Liverpool's best 11.
