Curtis Jones will hopefully be given another opportunity to showcase his abilities against Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Liverpool head to Stamford Bridge for a clash in the fifth round of the FA Cup, knowing victory will steady the ship after a poor weekend.
Jurgen Klopp could ring the changes against the Blues, with the German likely fielding a mix of fringe players and youngsters, and Jones will hopefully take to the field again, having already taken the FA Cup by storm this season.
The 19-year-old lit up the third round win over Everton, curling home a superb winner, and he also scored against Shrewsbury Town in round four, before also impressing in the replay.
Since then, Jones has gone on to display his brilliance for Liverpool’s Under-23s, registering an eye-catching late hat-trick in the thrashing of Sunderland in the Premier League Cup.
While playing some youngsters could feel like a risk on Tuesday, considering Chelsea may have a strong team out, Jones starting shouldn’t fill supporters with any level of concern.
The Liverpool-born star is now primed to play at the top level, arguably even representing a better option than the likes of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana currently. He is intelligent, physical, skilful, can break the lines through passing and dribbling, and clearly has an eye for the spectacular.
Granted, it is easy to get carried away with performances in youth football, or against a League One side, but, for me, Jones has something special about him.
There is a self-confidence flowing through him that has echoes of a young Steven Gerrard, as well as outrageous natural ability. Take the Rabona cross against Shrewsbury in the last round, for example, or the wonderful piece of skill that won Liverpool a free-kick beforehand.
Jones is not a player who will shrink on a big stage such as Tuesday’s match – if anything, he will be buzzing to show those in attendance at Stamford Bridge, as well as the many watching on television, what an exciting footballer he is.
With Jordan Henderson and Keita out injured, and the likes of Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum potentially rested, we will hopefully get to see Jones, who could be one of the star attractions for the Reds.
The assumption is that he will play in midfield, but he has also been adopting a more attacking role at times this season, so a place in the front-three certainly shouldn’t be ruled out, whether it be out on the left or in a central ‘false nine’ role.
Much like Gerrard, Jones feels like a young local lad who is writing his own script at the moment ans it would be great to see him add to the growing tale in west London, helping Liverpool reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in the process.
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