Curtis Jones proves for England at the European Under-21 Championship why he could be a key part of Liverpool’s midfield this season
When the European U21 Championship kicked off on June 21, Liverpool watched closely.
As the Reds were in the midst of a long-awaited midfield refresh, it was announced that their second summer signing would feature in the tournament in Romania and Georgia.
Alexis Mac Allister, Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, Ryan Gravenberch and Gabri Veiga were already signed and shortlisted.
But two weeks later, Liverpool found themselves in talks to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, taking the RB Leipzig midfielder against the clock after activating a £60million release clause in his contract.
While the Reds have been sporadically linked with the Hungarian in the past, their sudden devotion to the playmaker has surprised many. As Szoboszlai put pen to paper, interest in Thuram, Gravenberch and Veiga would have ended.
Meanwhile, rumors of a move for more defensive-minded Kone have also cooled since the Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder was left on crutches after France’s last group game against Switzerland.
Only Liverpool bosses can answer if the European U21 Championship was deliberately misused as some kind of smokescreen before moving on to Szoboszlai. The Reds had of course carefully considered the aforementioned quartet before finally concluding that the Hungarian was indeed the man for them.
In fact, none of the four players particularly shone at the tournament, and performances in Romania and Georgia would not be decisive in cementing or ending interest in Liverpool.
Thuram was criticized in his home country for his ineffective performances as France suffered an upset defeat by Ukraine in the quarter-finals. Kone’s injury meant he was never able to build on a promising opening performance.
Despite his ubiquitous status, Gravenberch failed to inspire the Netherlands beyond the group stage, missing a minute as they battled against Belgium, Portugal and Georgia.
And while Spain faced England in Saturday’s final, Gabri Veiga was limited to five substitute matches, totaling 86 minutes.
Despite all the rumors that Liverpool’s ‘next midfielder’ will exit the tournament, the above goals have all been surpassed by two current Reds players who helped guide England to the final.
While Harvey Elliott was only used as a substitute for most of the tournament, he nevertheless scored a spectacular one-on-one goal in his only start against Germany.
Boss Lee Carsley initiated the changes as the Young Lions’ place in the knockout stages had already been secured with one group match to play, and the Liverpool midfielder made the most of the opportunity as he ran for midfield before from the area limit.
But Curtis Jones was the real star for the England U21s, building on his impressive finish last season after working his way through Jurgen Klopp’s starting eleven.
The 22-year-old excelled for Liverpool in the final two months of last season, finally overcoming the injury woes that had plagued his previous two seasons to solidify his place.
He was ever-present during the Reds’ 11-game unbeaten run as they finished the season in fifth place. He would give back three goals and an assist following Liverpool’s line-up change.
Utilizing an inverted full-back, with Trent Alexander-Arnold pushing forward in central midfield when Klopp’s men are on the ball, they lined up with a rectangular midfield in a 3-2-2-3 formation, with Jones flourishing as an advanced midfielder on the left.
Despite such a rise in fortunes, Kopites may not expect the 22-year-old to retain his regular status at the start of the 2023-24 season once his midfield revamp is complete, with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai able to start in his role.
But despite the expected entrants, Jones has insisted that he has not been phased out by the new competition for the spots that awaited him earlier this year.
“I don’t care, no. You know I’m a confident guy and I have the support of the staff,” he said of the transfer speculation at Anfield in April.
“If they turn around and say they think I’m leaving or I’m going to pay out, then you know there are options out there that they already know about anyway.
“So it’s not something that we’ve talked about at the club and it’s not like they’re saying, ‘Listen, we’re going to buy it, you might have to go, you might have to do this or that “.” You might hear little things in the press, but they only make it up to protect themselves!
“But I haven’t heard anything, so I’m here to play. Of course, I support myself. It doesn’t matter if I go.” I think I can show I’m good enough to come back, but we’ll see. I’m not worried.”
With Liverpool due to return to pre-season on Saturday (July 8), the same day Jones will face Spain in the final, his international successes will finally see him catch up with his club this summer. But at least he’s fine until then.
Before returning to Klopp’s starting eleven in the spring, Jones made headlines after being used as an impromptu forward by Carsley during the international break in March. Jones scored one goal and assisted off the bench in a 4–0 win over France, which Kone started in midfield, before starting in a friendly loss to Croatia.
However, he returned to a more natural environment in Georgia, playing a deeper midfield role in a 4-4-2 system.
England won both of their first two games to reach the knockout stages with one game to spare.
Jones played 90 minutes against the Czech Republic and Israel, helping the Young Lions to 2-0 wins in both matches, before being rested against Germany. And he particularly excelled against them.
With 135 touches, far more than any other player, he also completed 120 of his 124 pass attempts (97% passing accuracy) and nine long ball attempts. According to Sofa Score, his total of three tackles was also more than any of his teammates.
He was instrumental in setting up goals from Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith-Rowe, no doubt catching the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate, while an incredible through ball from the halfway line thrilled fans and went viral on social media.
He returned to the starting XI when England beat Portugal 1-0 in the quarter-finals and produced an outstanding performance in the Young Lions’ 3-0 semi-final win over Israel to secure their place in final.
Again, his total of 100 touches was the most on the field, as he completed 87 of his 92 passes with 95% passing accuracy, comfortably the highest totals on the field.
His tally of 20 passes in the final third and 10 steals also guided the striker in winning four duels on the ground, completing three successful dribbles and creating two key chances, according to Sofa Score.
And once again he went viral, channeling former Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino with a through ball. As England prepare for Saturday’s final against Spain, Jones is playing with confidence and will be instrumental in any chance of success.
The Scouser has always been a versatile player, progressing further to academy level before breaking into the Liverpool first team. But the truth is, he didn’t choose a specific role under Klopp until the final weeks of last season.
But the fact that he is now attracting attention in a deeper role could make him even more valuable for the Reds, as the midfielder is already comfortable in several positions in his club manager’s two favorite formations.
Jones has often been written off in the past due to his injury issues over the past two seasons.
Critics would ultimately dismiss him as part of the Reds issue. Still, he has ridiculed those claims and if he can now stay injury-free, he should continue to gain strength.
He is unfazed by the new competition he faces at Anfield and will continue to push Mac Allister and Szoboszlai for starting positions when he reports for pre-season.
He’s been supporting and speaking out on the pitch now, showing why he’s always been held in such high regard by Liverpool in the first place.
While it’s easy to overlook an Academy graduate already at the club, especially when the whiff of big-money signings is in the air, Jones delivered on his promise by the end of the season and shows he’s more than good enough to be included in Klopp’s squad.
