Outspoken pundit Eamon Dunphy has voiced his doubts regarding one current member of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool squad.
The 78-year-old was speaking on The Stand podcast when he aired his reservations over the ability of Curtis Jones to ‘go all the way’ at Anfield, having witnessed the 22-year-old being substituted for Ryan Gravenberch during the 1-1 draw against Manchester City on Saturday.
The controversial Irish pundit – who infamously branded Harry Kewell a ‘fat clown‘ and previously dismissed Dominik Szoboszlai as a ‘lightweight‘ – stated: “Jones is a young Liverpool player who I think isn’t going to go all the way and was substituted and they brought on a guy who I really fancy, Gravenberch.”
Admittedly Jones was well below his best against City, but we don’t agree with Dunphy’s criticism of the £15,000-per-week midfielder (Capology).
The Toxteth lad has already surpassed a century of senior appearances for Liverpool, with his tally of 107 exceeding that of players like John Aldridge, Jim Beglin and Alvaro Arbeloa (lfchistory.net).
You don’t become an LFC centurion at 22 without being a very gifted footballer, and he’s already contributed to the club winning major silverware since making his first-team breakthrough.
While Jones is still young, he’s left behind the days of being a wide-eyed youth prospect, becoming a firm part of Klopp’s senior squad at Anfield and even being entrusted with the captaincy on a couple of occasions.
Had it not been for his harsh red card at Tottenham (which incurred a three-match suspension) and then a thigh injury, he’d likely be into double digits already for Premier League starts in the current campaign.
The 22-year-old still has the scope to go on and achieve plenty more for Liverpool, but despite what Dunphy might say, he can already be very proud of what he’s accomplished at his boyhood club.
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