Curtis Jones’ recent progression within the first team has been labelled as ‘no surprise at all’ by one of his former academy coaches, Anthony Godfrey.
Godrey, who spent 12 years at Liverpool, spoke to us about his time working within the academy and had nothing but praise to give Jones, highlighting the importance Steven Gerrard had on his development within the Under 18s.
Now a director at the 7 Elite Academy, the former Liverpool coach helped oversee the development of several first-team regulars including Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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On our Expert Insight show, Godfrey said: “To see what Curtis is doing is absolutely no surprise to me at all. In terms of what he does with the ball, his ball manipulation, and his pivoting from one side to the other.
“With Curtis and what he was producing at the academy, especially from when he was 14/15, he really kicked on. I remember the year Barry Lewtas had the under-16’s and he started getting into the England youth teams. Barry was a big inspiration towards him. And then Steven Gerrard was a huge presence for him for those under-18’s. So, we knew Curtis was definitely more than capable of being a figure around the first team.
“In terms of the position he plays, you’ve got to take into account, that he was playing an awful lot as the left-sided attacker, creating scary numbers for the Under 18s.
“With 18’s football, you see players have real success, so they also think, well he was scoring and assisting all these goals, so fans think that progression to the first team will happen naturally. With under-18’s to Premier League football, the gulf in difference is absolutely massive. It takes time.
“He’s an attacking player. And I think what we’re guilty of as Liverpool supporters with the likes of Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, and Steven Gerrard, we naturally think that these young players should be hitting the ground running after 10 games because we’ve been used to those types of players in the past. It doesn’t happen like that; it does take time.
“I think they’re in a really good nurturing environment at the moment with the people around them, the support framework, the loans that happen as well.
“With Curtis now, it’s starting to click, and I wish him the best of luck that there are no injuries that come into play now because he’s getting that momentum and it’s really important for him.”
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Jones’ ride to becoming a first-team regular hasn’t always been an easy one, coming under criticism at times with questions as to whether he has a long-term future at the club. But this season feels as if he’s really beginning to make that step up to the high level we expect of our midfielders. It’s easy to forget he’s only 22 as well, showing there’s still room for him to continue to develop his game.
It feels as if the midfield exits of the likes of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Naby Keita in the summer almost paved the way for Jones – who holds a market value of £25million – to really start establishing himself as a starter this season. With Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup medals already, whilst also winning the Under-21 European Championships last year, the only way is up for Jones, with Klopp recently labelling him as ‘technically incredible’.
If he does manage to maintain the momentum that was mentioned by Godfrey, we could have ourselves a very exciting player on our hands for many years to come.
