Jurgen Klopp has revealed he is using tough love to help Liverpool youngster Curtis Jones realise his full potential.
Klopp has become so concerned about Jones’s failure to kick-on this season that he has spoken to the midfielder at length to remind him of the quality he possesses.
The Kop boss challenged the 20-year-old to use the AFCON absence of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Kieta as a chance to shine and help keep Liverpool’s season on track.
Klopp said: “I had a long talk last week with Curtis, because I love the boy and I love the potential he has.
“But we have to now really make the next steps and make sure that he fulfils the potential he has on the pitch.
“You have these kinds of conversations when you are not 100 percent happy with the moment.
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“He’s young – very young – but from what I see his potential is just incredible. So we have to find a way to show that much more often.
“That’s where we are in Curtis’s development.
“He can play different positions, in different ways.”
Jones has made great strides in the three years since Klopp handed him his debut in an FA Cup tie at Wolves. But now Klopp wants the Liverpool-born midfielder to crank up the pressure on the senior players at Anfield.
Klopp believes that the youngster’s versatility can be vital after bringing him on as a substitute in the goalless Carabao Cup semi-final home leg with Arsenal on Thursday night.
The Anfield boss added: “Against Arsenal, we brought Curtis on to dribble, to change things in the tight areas and change the way they had to defend.
“We needed a different dynamic and dimension – he played in exactly that way.
“But he can also play as a No.8 and he has already done really well there for us.
“It’s an ongoing process. I know he had a tricky time, first with an eye injury and after that with Covid. It was not helpful.
“But now we will try to make sure he gets rhythm and can show how good he can actually be.”
Liverpool face Brentford at Anfield on Sunday after losing ground in the title race over the last six weeks.
Divock Origi has stepped up his training after missing the last month with a knee injury, but is unlikely to feature against the Bees.
That leaves Roberto Firmino as Liverpool’s only recognised central striker - but Klopp insists the Brazilian can fill the void.
He said: “Bobby doesn’t have to change anything.
“It is a shame that I have to remind you we played one of the biggest games in our history here [the 4-0 defeat of Barcelona in 2019] without Bobby or Mo.
“We won at Crystal Palace [7-0 in December 2020] when Mo didn’t start. We won at Manchester United [5-0 last October] when Sadio didn’t start. Now both are out, and that’s not cool, but football is about finding solutions.
“It is not who is playing – it is always about how you are playing.
“We must focus on the things we can influence. We have to go through this period and make the best of it – and that is what we will try.”
