'Credit to him': Murphy says Slot has got 'dangerous' Liverpool player doing something he's never seen before
Today at 02:00 PM
Liverpool have seen a big collective improvement in their level since last season.
The Reds had a good final year under Jurgen Klopp, winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League.
However, there was a feeling that Liverpool could have done a little better in the end.
Their Europa League campaign was disappointingly ended by Atalanta after a terrible first-leg performance at Anfield, while a Premier League title challenge came up short, too.
With Arne Slot coming in to replace Klopp and barely any changes at all being made to the Liverpool squad, plenty had expected a season of transition and change.
While that might yet happen, the early signs have been of something else entirely. And few at Liverpool have embodied their positive run of form quite like Curtis Jones.
Danny Murphy credits Arne Slot for Curtis Jones rebirth
Jones has always been highly thought of at Liverpool. The midfielder got plenty of chance to show what he can do under Klopp.
However, Jones was happy after the arrival of Slot and envisaged a manager who could get the very best out of him.
Despite a slow start from the Liverpool academy graduate, that has now come to pass. Jones has become a fully-fledged England international and is thriving under Slot’s guidance.
And speaking to TalkSPORT, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy has praised how Jones’ game has developed with Slot at Anfield.
READ MORE: Danny Murphy explains what Curtis Jones can do to become even better at Liverpool
“I think over the last six weeks or two months, Jones has been probably the best English midfielder in the Premier League, or one of. Definitely one of the best two,” raved Murphy. “So, yes, if you were playing a big game tomorrow I’d be happy to put him in.
“The reason I like Curtis Jones is that I think he’s obviously growing in confidence but both aspects of his midfield play are really good. His running off the ball to make forward runs – credit to Arne Slot for giving him that role by the way – he’s not restricted, he’s getting in the box more than I’ve ever seen him for Liverpool and he’s scoring, he’s making chances, getting in dangerous areas because he’s willing to run without the ball. As we saw in Greece.
“The other thing that I think he’s looking like probably one of our best players at doing, he’s not only receiving the ball deep in pressurised situations, but then being really brave and productive with it,” adds the pundit.
Is Curtis Jones now a nailed-on Liverpool starter?
There is probably a fair bit of truth in Murphy’s claim that Jones is one of the best English midfielders in the Premier League right now.
Factoring in that Jude Bellingham plays in Spain, as does Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher, there aren’t many who could hold a candle to Curtis at the moment.
Declan Rice would be the other obvious candidate, although the 25-year-old has not necessarily been at his best for Arsenal this term.
Nevertheless, Liverpool’s other midfielders are not English and in our opinion there is still a real debate over whether Jones should start for the Reds.
Darren Bent would pick Jones over Dominik Szoboszlai, but given that the Hungarian plays a more advanced role than Curtis, we’re not so sure on that. The final decision will of course be up to Slot. But the pressure is starting to mount to give Jones a permanent spot in the team.
