How Curtis Jones has blossomed into one of England’s best midfielders under Liverpool boss Arne Slot
IT’S been a breakout season for Liverpool star Curtis Jones in more ways than one.
On the pitch, he has excelled for the Reds – leading the Arne Slot revolution to put them firmly at the top of the Premier League.
In the Champions League clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday, Jones, 23, earned rave reviews for his all-action performance.
Not only did he help his side to a 2-0 win, he kept Jude Bellingham in his pocket for 90 minutes.
And now, an incredible stat has come to light that shows perhaps his greatest characteristic.
The England prospect is his country’s leading passer of the ball – having completed a higher percentage of passes than his rivals.
Interim England boss Lee Carsley said: “Curtis Jones would be up there with the most talented players I’ve worked with.”
“He’s got everything you need as a midfielder. He can run, very fast, powerful, can score, can assist, he can defend, he can take the ball. All he needs is opportunity.”
New Liverpool boss Slot has also purred about Jones’ ability this campaign.
The Dutchman told the BBC: “He has a lot of qualities on the ball.
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“He is never afraid to do something special with it, but sometimes he touches the ball a bit too much in my opinion because he is so confident.
“But confidence is an important tool. He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete.
“For him now, it is all about consistency. The best players turn up every three days and that is what he has got to show.”
Jones’ upturn in form has coincided with a personal milestone – becoming a father for the first time, in what is turning out to be a memorable campaign.
Class distributor
In November, Jones made his England debut under Lee Carsley – soon after he welcomed daughter Giselle with partner Saffie Khan.
He made his bow against Greece a night to remember, scoring with an audacious backheel flick.
A few weeks before that he dominated Chelsea – scoring the opener and winning a penalty in a man-of-the-match display.
However, despite that swashbuckling display – it’s his passing that has been highlighted.
According to WhoScored.com, he is flying high when it comes to pass success rate data.
Astonishingly, Jones has completed 94.8 per cent of his passes this season – and ranks sixth out of all players in Europe’s top five leagues.
Compared to established stars Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, whose pass success rate is at 90.1 per cent and 89 per cent respectively, Jones is out on top among his Three Lions competitors.
Even the likes of pass masters Martin Odegaard (85.9 per cent) and Bruno Fernandes (81.5 per cent) are trailing in his wake in the Premier League.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard believes there’s still more to come from Jones, who has found a new lease of life under Slot.
“Rafa [Benitez] had to grab me to take me to another level, and the exciting thing for me looking in is that Arne seems the man who can really get Curtis to the next level,” Gerrard said.
“If he [Slot] can get him there we will have a top, top international player on our hands. I am really excited to see his next 18 months and beyond.”
Before he burst onto the scene
Jones’ recent success is no surprise to those who tipped him for the top as he came through Liverpool’s youth ranks.
He joined the club with the Under-9s and progressed quickly, making his U18s debut as an U16 player in the 2016-17 season, and went on to captain both the U19s and U23s.
Jones was born in the city centre, and honed his skills on the street. He’s a local boy and received as one of their own.
“At the top of my street, there’s a primary school,” he told The Independent.
“In the evenings, we’d climb over the fence and play on their pitch or take one of the goals and just play in the street all night – we’d always put it back afterwards though.
“I grew up the way a lot of Scousers do, just being a street kid, not having the best facilities, and making the most out of everything you can.”
In 2017, Jones became one of the most talked about youngsters in English football, when he led Liverpool to the quarter-finals of the Uefa Youth League with four goals.
They went out to Manchester City, with Jones being one of the Liverpool players to have their penalties saved in the 3-2 shootout.
Despite that upset, it helped cement his reputation as one of the most promising players of his generation.
Stevie G influence
Former Under-23s manager Michael Beale described Jones as a player “who can outplay you one-on-one, can play centre midfield, play wide and as a deep midfielder”.
However, it was icon Gerrard who had a huge influence on the youngster when he was aspiring to make the grade at Anfield.
Before the now Al-Ettifaq gaffer took up a post as Rangers manager, he enjoyed a stint with Liverpool’s U18 team in 2017.
There, he got to work with Jones who admitted he wouldn’t be where he is today without Gerrard’s help.
“A lot of people didn’t see the work both of us put in to push me on to get into the first team,” Jones said.
“Things weren’t always easy, but he was the perfect person at the perfect time to help me.
“He was the main coach who really told me what I had to work on. It was my all-round game, but also my all-round person. He knew the talent I had and put the fine details to me.”