Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has happily accepted a youth coach’s claim he shows traits similar to Sadio Mane and former Red Adam Lallana.
Among the gloom of Liverpool’s injury calamities shines Jones, who has proved to be a success story for Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool’s left midfield has been hit badly with injuries to new-signing Thiago, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and most recently James Milner.
But the 19-year-old has appeared in five of the Reds’ last six games, starting in four of those matches.
The comparison came after former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy revealed to talkSPORT that a club youth coach had compared the academy graduate to Mane and former Red Lallana.
Since joining the Liverpool side back in 2016, Mane has been nothing short of outstanding having scored 86 goals in 183 appearances for the club.
He has quickly asserted himself as one on the most electrifying wingers not only in the Premier League but in world football.
Despite not creating as much as a buzz as wide-man Mane during his spell at Anfield, Lallana was a prominent figure in the dressing room for the current league champions, often taking the youngsters who were coming through the ranks at Liverpool under his wing.
When asked about the coach’s statement, Jones replied: “Wow. I’ve not really ever compared myself to another player.
“I’ve always said my style of play is similar to players who like to have a bit of flair in the game and be confident on the ball.
“To be referred to as Mane and Lallana? Wow.
“Mane is just a different level in terms of how he plays. I think he finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or.
“I spent two years around Lallana. The stuff he used to do in training, I used to be blown away by it.
“To be referred to as those two, I’ll take it.”
It’s safe to say Jones has benefited with the amount of game time he’s recently had with several key midfielders for Liverpool side-lined through injury recently.
But the teenager has continuously impressed for club and country, after a string of top performances for the England U-21s, where he managed to score his first goal in a European Qualifier game versus Andorra.
It’s unclear he will be able to keep the same amount of game time once Liverpool’s midfield worries are over.
But Jones has given Klopp a real headache for selection in the future.
(Photo courtesy of: Kane Brooker)
