Curtis Jones details frank talks with Klopp and explains what has changed since

20 November 2023 , 18:51

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Curtis Jones details frank talks with Klopp and explains what has changed since

Curtis Jones feels like he has finally earned the trust of Jurgen Klopp after clocking up a century of appearances for Liverpool.

Jones, 22, has slowly but surely established himself as a first-team mainstay after progressing through the ranks at Anfield and has been a prominent figure in a team that spent a significant sum of money on a midfield overhaul during the summer transfer window.

The midfield maestro feels like he's now come of age at Liverpool after making over 100 first-team appearances for the Reds - and after proving he belongs over a sustained period, Jones now believes Klopp fully trusts him to deliver on the big occasions.

Speaking on the latest episode of the We are Liverpool podcast, Jones says: “I feel I’m at a point now where he [Klopp] understands, ‘OK, we can bring him on if the team is getting beat because we know he can pop up with a goal or he can create something, or he can start in a big game because we know what we’ll get from him is going to be hard work, he will go and press, he won’t hide if the other team is on top, he will want the ball still, he’s not scared.’

“So, I feel like I’ve gained his trust. But I’ve still got a long way to go. I’m on 100 games but I feel it’s just the beginning and I want to just carry on and hold the form and keep it going.”

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While Jones established himself as a first-team regular at the tail end of last season, he hasn't always been integral to Klopp's plans. And the Anfield chief even outlined back in January 2022 that he'd held frank talks with the youngster amid concerns that his progress had stalled.

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Curtis Jones feels like he has finally earned the trust of Jurgen Klopp (Michael Regan/Getty)

“I had a long talk last week with Curtis, ­because I love the boy and I love the potential he has,” Klopp said previously. “But we have to now really make the next steps and make sure that he fulfils the potential he has on the pitch.

“You have these kinds of conversations when you are not 100 per cent happy with the moment. He’s young – very young – but from what I see his ­potential is just incredible. So we have to find a way to show that much more often. That’s where we are in Curtis’s development.”

Jones, who was forced to serve a three-match ban after being sent off against Tottenham last month, has missed Liverpool's last two Premier League games with a thigh injury.

Dan Marsh