Some Liverpool fans believe that 18-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones will get first-team football for the club next season.
Before the Reds’ senior team got held to a 1-1 draw by Napoli at Anfield, the Liverpool Under-19s side had gone up against the Partenopei Under-19s side. The result was a 7-0 win in the English side’s favour and 18-year-old Jones grabbed a hat-trick.
The England Under-19s man’s performance caught attention on social media. And some Liverpool fans have been left overjoyed. Some of them believe that the left midfielder can play in the club’s first team soon.
Will Curtis Jones break into Jurgen Klopp's first-team?
Yes
No
The captain bags a hat-trick
Liverpool U19s continue the rout in the second half!
Six goals to the good, thanks to this Curtis Jones screamer pic.twitter.com/NnUBvA8YT5
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 27, 2019
What a hit, I think he’ll get first team football next season, he’s too good not to
— Adam Lee (@Adam12Lee) November 27, 2019
I’d like to see jones in the 1st team soon
— Daniel Gamble TORIES OUT (@Dannytg78) November 27, 2019
Defo reminds me of Lallana
— Dan (@HUGE_HOG) November 27, 2019
Would rather see Curtis Jones given a chance than spend £100m on Sancho
— Darren Brodie (@brodobaggins5) November 28, 2019
Lallana isn’t the answer, Shaqiri not fit, or out of favour. I’d take a risk with Curtis Jones personally, think he’s ready to step up. Or we change the system play Bobby deeper, have Divock occupy one or two players.
— Rory Greenfield (@RoryGreenfield) November 28, 2019
Im a clown, but you seem to think Curtis Jones has a better chance at a career at Liverpool than Keïta dkm (I rate jones btw)
— ?? (@BSSLFC) November 27, 2019
Curtis Jones is a baller
— aaron kelley (@AaronKelley0) November 27, 2019
Better than keita
— [][°][] (@ImMortaLFC_) November 27, 2019
Jones is a versatile midfielder by trade. He can play centrally, but he can also play on the left and in the attacking midfield (per TransferMarkt). Not just that, but he can also play on the right and as a striker.
This season, the youngster has made two appearances for the senior side in the League Cup, assisting once. In all competitions though, he has played a total of 18 games. He has found the back of the net 12 times and has racked up a total of six assists.
Last season, he had made an appearance for the first-team in the FA Cup. But in total, he had appeared 20 times in all competitions. He had contributed to as many as ten goals too – seven of them were goals.
What do we think?
While Jones’ versatility is key, it is tough to see how he can break into the current Reds’ first-team and play regularly. The left side of the pitch is occupied by Sadio Mane, with Divock Origi the second-choice in that position.
In midfield, they have six options for the first-team. Fabinho, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Georginio Wijnaldum make up for the numbers. Unless the club suffers from an injury crisis, Jones won’t play much.
But the upcoming League Cup game against Aston Villa will be a huge opportunity for him to impress. Liverpool’s fixture list for December is jam-packed. A good performance against Villa would help Jones stake his claim.