da brdice： This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…
da dobrowin： Liverpool will be a victim of their own success in December.
Due to their Champions League win, they will participate in the Club World Cup in Qatar just before Christmas. Usually, that wouldn’t provide too much of an issue, but they have also advanced to the semi-finals of the League Cup. As such, they will be forced to play two matches in 24 hours.
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Jurgen Klopp and Co will not be able to field the same starting XI in both games. As such, a number of the club’s youngsters are expected to start against Aston Villa in the first-leg of the domestic competition, including Curtis Jones. Not only that, the 18-year-old is expected to captain the side, according to Goal.com.
It will not be his first start for the Anfield outfit though. That came in January of this year, against Wolves in the FA Cup. Although that ended in a disappointing 2-1 loss for the Reds, it still provided the then 17-year-old with his maiden taste of first-team action. His form at youth level shows that it could be the first of many.
Jones is a versatile player. Usually a midfielder who operates centrally – whether it be in an attacking, defensive, or middling role – he has also been used on the left and right flanks. No matter where he has featured for the club’s development squads, though, he has been prolific in front of goal. In 76 matches, he has 36 goals. Rather impressive, it must be said.
His displays have earned him two more first-team appearances this campaign, both in the League Cup. Whilst he has failed to hit the back of the net, he did provide an assist against Arsenal in the previous round. He also scored a crucial penalty in the shoot-out after the match had ended 5-5, whilst he also picked up the Man of the Match award against MK Dons.
Alex Inglethorpe, the Reds’ academy director, has been amongst those to talk up the teenager’s ability. Talking after that match against the League One side, he said: “Curtis was excellent in possession and looked a real threat. He has been outstanding in the Under-23s games so far this season and having that run of games has helped him. He’s got bigger, stronger and gained more experience.
“I think Curtis can play in two positions – left of the front three and in midfield, too. He’s possibly more Adam Lallana than Sadio Mane in terms of his approach and capabilities.”
Big praise from someone in the know. Of course, those are big names to live up to, but his performances so far indicate that he has the quality to perhaps fulfill those comparisons. Should he take the armband against the Villans, it could be a glimpse of the future for the club’s supporters.
In other news, Liverpool fans react to the speculation surrounding one 19-year-old.