Jurgen Klopp talks about Curtis Jones cutting the bench just to fill space up
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones returned to a matchday squad after nearly two months. He was on the bench against the league fixture against Manchester City, wherein the Reds emerged victorious 1-0.
The recurrence of a bone injury saw him on the sidelines again after he was among the substitutes against Newcastle United in August. Prior to that, the only time he featured in the entire season was in the Reds’ 3-1 win over Man City in the FA Community Shield Final.
Gaffer Jurgen Klopp recently made the revelation that Jones is not completely match-fit and was on the bench to just fill space up and was apparently clear that he would not bring the midfielder on.
A tibia fracture earlier this year is acting as a barrier for Jones to cement his place in Klopp’s lineup. With the lack of midfielders at the club to provide backup, a technical player like Jones would work wonders for the German gaffer who had to say this about benching the Scouser (h/t Liverpool Echo):
“Curtis was on the bench. It was clear we would not bring him on, we just had space. He is in training, looks really good in training but needs further training until he is really available. He could be a step closer now after two days. But he didn’t train yesterday so maybe half a step closer.”
The Other Scouser in our Team
The positive news that he would return to action soon is coming at the right time for the club. With also a very tight schedule in the next few weeks because of the World Cup, as much depth as possible is the best situation for the gaffer.
Curtis, in 75 appearances for the club across all competitions has eight goals and ten assists. The lack of goal output is mainly due to injury issues and inconsistent performances. If he manages to keep himself fit for as long as possible, the trio of him, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho could be the core around which the club could be built in the future.
Even though he might not be in contention to face West Ham United on Wednesday, there is a possibility that we might see him on the bench. Hopefully, he finds his feet soon and becomes the player Steven Gerrard envisaged him to be during their time together at the club’s U19 facilities.
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The 21-year-old is a good young midfielder that Klopp could use going deep into the season, and hopefully, he lives up to the trust the fans have shown the local lad.
For that, however, he will have to return soon – preferably by the time we play against Nottingham Forest in the league on October 22 – and if not then, then in the game against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League four days later.
