This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
It was a special moment for Curtis Jones on Saturday against Bournemouth.
The Liverpool youngster has played just twice so far this season for the first team, with both of those appearances coming in the League Cup. That makes sense of course – he is only 18 years of age – but his impressive form for the club’s U23 side, for whom he has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 11 games already this campaign, may have given Jurgen Klopp the urge to play him in one of the more prestigious tournaments.
However, it was against the Cherries where his first taste of Premier League action came. Of course, it was the perfect moment to introduce him to the play – the Reds were 3-0 up at that point, and having had 76% possession there was never a chance that the Cherries were going to make a miraculous comeback – but those 14 minutes he spent on the pitch at the Vitality Stadium will never be forgotten by the Liverpudlian.
With the game already won by that point, it was more of just a game-management situation for the Anfield outfit, but Jones didn’t look out of place. He completed 100% of the passes he attempted, and even managed to get a shot away as well – even if it failed to make Aaron Ramsdale work in the opposition goal.
Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…
We saw a glimpse of the future here, and it was an indication that we may be seeing more of the youngster as the season progresses. He received another boost in November, as well, as he was named in the squad that will travel to Qatar for the Club World Cup along with the entirety of the senior team.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold already a first-team regular, Jones could be the next local lad to make his mark in front of the Kop. And although it may have been an easy time for him to do it, Klopp deserves credit for playing him in a match at the highest level. Right now, it seems he can do no wrong.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are ready to give one youngster a new contract.
