A closer look at Curtis Jones' start to his Liverpool career

When Curtis Jones joined Liverpool Football Club as a nine-year-old back in 2010, there were no guarantees that he would go on to play for the club's first-team.

The reality is, the majority of the young players that are involved in the Reds' academy never go on to play a game for Liverpool's senior XI.

But, club legend Steven Gerrard, who managed Jones at under-18 level, had a feeling that the youngster would make it, according to former Red Stephen Warnock.

"I remember coming off the pitch and saying to Steven, 'who's the number 10?' Because he just glides past players, making it look so effortless, so easy," Warnock told Sky Sports.

"Steven turned around and said Jones has everything to become a top player. If his attitude is right, he'll make it to the top.

"That's coming from someone like Steven. Jones is maturing and is under the right manager (Jurgen Klopp) who is giving him trust to go out and express himself, to play the way he wants."

Since then, Jones, 21, has gone on to become a constant figure in Klopp's squad.

The midfielder made his first-team debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the FA Cup back in 2019.

As each game has gone by, Jones has steadily improved. He can dribble, press and create.

In fact, Jones has found the back of the net eight times and registered nine assists in 69 appearances for Liverpool's senior XI.

If we had to pick a moment where we thought that Jones had arrived, it would have to be when he scored the winning goal against Everton in the third round of the FA Cup back in 2020.

As you can see in the footage below, he found the back of the net with a screamer to hand Liverpool a 1-0 victory over the Toffees. He was only 18 years of age at the time.

With Jones being a Scouser, it was a big moment for him to score in a Merseyside derby.

“I dream of a lot of things but this one was ahead of a dream,” Jones said when asked about the goal, as quoted by The Guardian. “I can’t sum up my emotions.

"There are world-class players all over this team but I think I went out and showed what I could do. The ball came to me and I only had one thing in mind – to shoot. It’s massive for me and the rest of the young boys."

But, despite everything that Jones does have going for him, it is important to note that he is still behind the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara.

The Scouser has only started in 15 games for Liverpool this season.

Jones is still very young, so this is not a case for concern. He has plenty of time on his side to become a mainstay in Klopp's XI.

The German certainly rates the midfielder quite highly, so it is clear that his time will eventually come.

As quoted by The Liverpool Offside, Klopp said the following back in January: "I know him for a long time now and I am one of his biggest fans.

“From when I first saw him I can remember the talent group training at Melwood on a side pitch and I looked out of my office and saw him and it was ‘Ooof. Wow’. The next question was ‘How old is he?’ I think he was 15 at the time but was already clearly a massive talent.

“Talents need to work and he is doing that work and talents need to learn the game and he is doing that every day. Sometimes they need a push and Curtis looks like he is that guy – not that he is not concentrating."

Klopp has said it perfectly. If Jones continues to put in the hard work, then anything is possible. The midfielder has had a promising start to his career, although he can clearly improve in all aspects of his game. No player is perfect, especially at 21 years of age.

We wish Jones all the best for the remainder of his career.