In the newest Blood Red column, Ian Doyle appears on the place of Curtis Jones as the Liverpool midfielder returns to the place it began
05:00, 06 Mar 2026Updated 09:00, 06 Mar 2026
Curtis Jones of Liverpool(Image: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Curtis Jones returns to the venue the place it began for him at Liverpool this night. But for a participant who has greater than 200 appearances beneath his belt, his Anfield future is much from sure.
Jones is amongst a number of gamers seemingly to be recalled to the beginning line-up as Arne Slot appears to rotate as a lot as his sources permit for the FA Cup fifth spherical conflict at Wolves.
It was throughout a 3rd spherical match at Molineux again in January 2019 that Jones was thrown in by Jurgen Klopp for his senior debut having impressed at Academy degree.
Jones was changed after 70 minutes as Liverpool misplaced 2-1 and did not function within the first group once more for an additional 9 months. But it was a primary important step on a journey that has twice seen him win the Premier League, additionally raise the FA Cup and League Cup and be a non-playing substitute within the FIFA Club World Cup triumph in 2019.
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An outing this night would transfer the 25-year-old on to 36 appearances this season and solely final marketing campaign, with 46 outings, will he have made extra for Liverpool. A start could be his twentieth of the time period, closing in on his best-ever tally of 27 final yr.
Only 5 gamers within the present squad have performed extra for the membership, all of whom bar Joe Gomez are properly into their thirties.
But Jones has by no means really been regarded as a daily. He has not made greater than six successive Premier League begins beneath Slot and bettered that tally solely as soon as with Klopp when starting the final 11 matches of the 2022/23 season.
While his versatility is a power – he has performed in seven totally different positions in lower than two years for Slot – it has additionally made it tougher to break right into a midfield that has largely prevented Liverpool’s harm jinx.
With Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz as competitors, long-term absenteeism has been restricted to Wataru Endo after an ankle operation.
Now approaching his peak years, Jones wants to be taking part in. A previously-declared ambition to captain Liverpool sooner or later will not outweigh the will for normal minutes, even when which means heading elsewhere.
And it is potential. Eyebrows have been raised when Inter expressed an curiosity in January – their plan to take the participant on mortgage was by no means going to get off the bottom – nevertheless it shone a highlight on the very fact Jones is approaching the final 12 months of his present deal.
There may, although, be a cautionary story from a participant who made the distinction the final time Liverpool have been at Wolves within the FA Cup.
Harvey Elliott scored the one purpose of their third spherical replay in 2023 and over the subsequent 18 months turned a daily function for the Reds. However, recreation time beneath Slot was restricted final time period and Elliott agreed a mortgage transfer to Aston Villa with the Midlands having an obligation to purchase offered the participant makes adequate appearances.
We know what has occurred subsequent, Elliott left in limbo having successfully wasted a yr of his profession earlier than this summer time returning to a membership that has already deliberate with out him. The leaving of Liverpool is not all the time simple, significantly for youthful gamers.
Villa have beforehand been occupied with Jones, so too Tottenham Hotspur. But his pure recreation, primarily based extra on technical skill than tempo or brute power, has made him significantly efficient within the Champions League and at worldwide degree, and explains the attraction from the likes of Inter.
Having not featured in Thomas Tuchel’s final three England squads, any probability of Jones that includes within the forthcoming World Cup – after scoring on his debut in opposition to Greece in 2024 and beginning 4 out of 5 video games for his nation – is distant.
Jones has rolled with each punch thrown in his path at Liverpool, uncovered to the distinctive challenges that face a homegrown participant making his approach by way of the Academy to changing into a first-team common.
Very few native abilities obtain the Liverpool look landmarks he has. And the remaining few months of his season may decide whether or not he reaches one other one.
