Curtis Jones broke into the first team under Jurgen Klopp, earning his first meaningful minutes during the 2019/2020 season that saw the club lift its first league trophy in 30 years. Supremely technical, with bags of talent and a confidence that could easily be mistaken for cockiness, the young Scouser was being converted from winger to part of a midfield three, and showing positive signs.
At the time, Jones was up against Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner, Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and others for midfield minutes — gifted, experienced pros doing the heavy lifting for one of the best teams in the world. Only 19 when Liverpool lifted number 19, Jones still had a lot to learn about dictating a game from the middle of the park.
We've seen the aforementioned players file out and their replacements file in — the likes of Dom Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Ryan Gravenberch. It was this trusted trio that started the vast majority of games in our title-winning campaign last year.
In the five years between titles, though, Jones stayed the course, and we've watched the academy product with a deep bag of tricks become a mature, capable, dependable central midfielder.
He's spent more time on the bench than he'd like, mostly due to injuries that interrupted a run in the team, or stellar play from the competition in his position. But when Arne Slot needed one thing desperately — consistency — to turn Liverpool's depressing 2025/2026 season around, he found it in the guy who's been around longer than any other midfield option at his disposal.
Since his 20- and 30-minute cameos versus West Ham and Sunderland, respectively, Jones has started three straight games, playing a key role in the Inter and Brighton wins, and what should have been a win at Leeds.
Here's why he should — and, in my opinion, will — keep his starting place for the foreseeable future.
He's using the best aspects of his game to full effect.
Jones has been doing the little things correctly and limiting mistakes, which is incredibly easy to take for granted. Weighting his passes correctly, passing into feet or space at the right time, knowing when to progress the ball and when to chop back and keep it. All crucial, especially in a team that's been struggling.
He also does the difficult things, though. He uses his quick feet to weasel his way out of tight situations on the sideline, or skillfully brushes by players in the middle of the field. His 20-yard curler at Elland Road deserved a goal, even if it smashed against the bar. When he has daylight, he can be a threat from deep.
He's an outstanding athlete, too. He takes more pride in pressing, tackling, and working back now than he ever has, and he has the height, speed, and size to do so effectively. We can't say that about all our midfield options, particularly Alexis Mac Allister. Macca hasn't looked physically able to compete compared to last year, when he started virtually every big game for Liverpool.
He's a steadying influence in a team that's undergoing constant change.
Jones' ability to keep the ball and control games is valuable under any circumstances. But given the poor form of Mac Allister, Salah's departure for AFCON, Szoboszlai's dubious fitness after he was subbed off against Brighton, and injuries to Frimpong, Gomez, Endo, and Gakpo, we're crying out for a mainstay in midfield who can help us find rhythm as Slot searches for the right personnel and setup.
Without typical starters Salah and Gakpo on either wing, Slot could deploy Ekitike and Isak up front with four midfielders behind them. He could add Wirtz or even Szoboszlai to the front three with a typical midfield three behind them.
Even if Szoboszlai is fit, you'd have to imagine Jones walks into either starting 11. If Szoboszlai isn't fit, we're going to see Jones stack up a lot of 90-minute shifts.
The difficult start to the season has made it even more gratifying to see Jones shouldering responsibility and playing with confidence. He's earned the minutes he's getting and he's performing like a man who knows he's needed — a grownup version of the swaggering 19-year-old kid we were introduced to in the heyday of Jurgen.