'I am': Steven Gerrard shares what he's now 'really excited' to see happen at Liverpool under Arne Slot
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Liverpool look good for a title challenge in the Premier League this season after a terrific start to the campaign.
There had been a little bit of mystery over what to expect from the Reds this season following the departure of Jurgen Klopp.
However, Arne Slot has come in and made a mockery of suggestions that Liverpool would sink without Klopp at the helm.
In a parallel universe, it is not Slot who eventually succeeded the German at Anfield, but legendary former captain Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard had widely been seen as the heir apparant to Klopp at Liverpool until his managerial career went off the rails at Aston Villa.
Still, the Liverpool legend clearly holds no bitterness at his failure to land the Reds job and has declared his excitement over something that could be happening under Slot.
Steven Gerrard excited over Curtis Jones progress
Despite his disappointing stint at Villa, there were still some who were calling for Gerrard to replace Klopp before Slot’s arrival.
Instead, the 44-year-old is watching on from Saudi Arabia, where he recently admitted to tailoring his Al Ettifaq side’s training sessions around watching Liverpool’s fixtures.
And speaking to The Times from Saudi, Gerrard has hailed the progress of fellow Liverpool academy graduate Curtis Jones, predicting that Slot will be the man to get the best out of him.
“Curtis still has a lot to learn, a lot of evolving to do,” says Gerrard. “I am really excited to see how Arne Slot can take him on to that next level.”
READ MORE: Danny Murphy says Arne Slot has got Curtis Jones doing something at Liverpool he’s never seen before
“He is still young. Rafa [Benítez] had to grab me to take me to another level, and the exciting thing for me looking in is that Arne seems the man who can really get Curtis to the next level.
“If he can get him there we will have a top, top international player on our hands.
“I am really excited to see his next 18 months and beyond.”
Arne Slot getting the most out of Curtis Jones
Having coached Jones at U18 level for Liverpool, Gerrard is certainly well placed to comment on the recently capped England international.
And while Jones went to another level under the stewardship of one of his idols, Slot does seem to have harnessed his talent even further.
The next task for Curtis is making sure he gets into the Liverpool starting XI on a regular basis.
He’s likely to shunt Alexis Mac Allister out for this weekend’s trip to Southampton given the Reds’ No.10’s international excursions this week.
If he can do well at St Mary’s, Jones then needs to kick on and bring the consistency that Gerrard clearly believes he has within him.
This is a big endorsement from Liverpool’s greatest ever midfielder. Time to kick on, Curt.
