Jurgen Klopp may have finally solved long-term issue as Liverpool transfer stance pays off

In pictures: Porto v Liverpool

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With Manchester United signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, Manchester City breaking the bank for Jack Grealish and Chelsea bringing back Romelu Lukaku, many thought Liverpool may have been more active in the summer transfer window.

The Reds only signed central defender Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig and instead prioritised renewing the contracts of some of their star players.

Of course, the latter is crucial, but many felt that Jurgen Klopp’s side needed more than just a centre-back to be competitive this season, especially after the departure of Georginio Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Dutch midfielder only missed 11 Premier League games during the course of six seasons at Anfield, showcasing what a crucial part of the team he was.

However, the 30-year-old did not sign a contract extension with Liverpool and instead opted for a move to the Ligue 1, which left an obvious gap in Klopp’s midfield trio.

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But, against FC Porto in the Champions League, it may have become obvious who the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss sees as his replacement for Wijnaldum.

Academy graduate Curtis Jones played a starring role in the 5-1 away win over the Portuguese opposition, assisting four of the five goals.

Jones played as the more attacking-minded midfielder in the three, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho more occupied in sitting deeper and distributing the ball out wide to Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

The English midfielder wasn’t expected to feature regularly this season after Harvey Elliott was dropped deeper to play as a no.10 and Thiago Alcantara and Naby Keita both had a point to prove, but Jones’ performance on Tuesday night gives him every chance.

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According to Squawka, the 20-year-old had 90 touches, an 89% passing accuracy, won seven duels, created three chances and had four shots.

Jones is usually famed for his box-to-box attributes such as work rate, tackling and long passing, however, pushing him into a slightly more attacking role saw him to best effect.

With Wijnaldum now out of the picture and Elliott sidelined with an ankle dislocation, Klopp may be able to mould the exciting young prospect into the player he will need to deliver trophies over the next few years.

Jones’ contract runs out at Anfield runs out in the summer of 2025, so he has plenty of time to learn, mature and make himself one of the first names on the team sheet.

Many heaped the praise on to the England under-19 international after his Champions League performance, especially pundits.

Speaking on BT Sport, Peter Crouch said: “Curtis Jones was very impressive tonight. He has excellent feet and was making driving runs at the right time.”

To which Michael Owen, another former Liverpool forward, added: “Before Harvey Elliott got injured, he was the one with the shirt. Curtis Jones has always been around, here and there, but for his sake, he needs a long run in the team. When he gets the chance he needs to do what he did tonight.”

The performance by Jones goes a long way to justifying why Klopp may have opted not to bring in a midfielder over the summer, especially if there isn’t a significant transfer budget at Anfield heading into January.

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