Curtis Jones will wear no.17 for Liverpool next season.
The Scouser has enjoyed a fruitful breakthrough season for the Reds, netting his first senior goal in the Merseyside derby, one against Shrewsbury, and another against Aston Villa for his first Premier League goal.
Curtis Jones became the Liverpool’s youngest ever skipper in the replay against Shrewsbury at Anfield, at 19 years and 5 days, as the Reds defeated the minnows by a goal to nil.
This statement will certainly see Jones’s playing time increase as time moves forward, taking the number vacated by Ragnar Klavan on his departure two summers ago.
It was also the second number taken by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard before he moved to his iconic number eight.
Jones will likely be a mainstay in the first-team squad next season, and at just 19 has so much time to develop and grow into a monster of a creative midfielder, who’s also capable of playing on the left.
There are two role models that Jones will need to follow if he is to make that step.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a similar sort of player, who likes to drive from deep and is very versatile – the former Arsenal man also burst onto the scene very early on, so will be able to help Jones in both a tactical and a mental capacity – especially after his ordeal with long-term injury.
Gini Wijnaldum is a similar player who has made the transition from a number 10 to a regular eight – and yes, we now he’s played the false nine, centre back and left back as well.
But he shows that even a player not a regular in a position can fit in the system. He played on the left for Newcastle in 2015/16 and was semi-prolific, whereas now his main job is recycling possession and providing energy in midfield for Liverpool.
But this will not stunt a player like Jones’s natural ability – his effortless drive and eye for goal will still be evident in years’ to come.