"With him coming back in" - Liverpool star backed to impress Jurgen Klopp and keep his place in the starting XI

Former Tottenham Hotspur defender Alan Hutton has backed Liverpool youngster Curtis Jones to retain his place in Jurgen Klopp's starting XI.

Jones missed the start of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign due to a stress response of the tibia bone. As per The Athletic,the English midfielder was sidelined for ten weeks as a result.

The Reds star has since recovered and featured in the starting XI in Liverpool's recent 1-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. He also came on as a substitute in the Merseyside outfit's 3-0 victory over Ajax in their UEFA Champions League group fixture on 27 October.

Following Jones' return to action, Hutton was asked whether the Englishman needed to step up whilst the Liverpool squad was depleted. He told Football Insider:

"Obviously, he has been out himself. With him coming back in, Klopp will know what he is capable of. He has been in the set-up for a number of seasons now. I think moving forward the likes of him, Harvey Elliott, these are hopefully, the guys who are going to take the club forward in that midfield."

He added:

"Of course, it is an opportunity when somebody gets injured or a space opens up for you. It is like any player at any team, you have to grasp it with both hands. He has definitely got the ability but it is about proving it at a high level consistently to keep your name on the team sheet."

Curtis Jones opens up about recent injury issues after returning to Liverpool squad

The Liverpool midfielder has opened up about his recent injury woes. Following his start in the Reds' encounter with Forest, Jones said (via the Liverpool Echo):

"I was out for 10 weeks. I came on Wednesday and played half an hour, then 90 today. So yeah, I’m tired but that’s part of the game. It’s a Premier League game, it’s always going to be hard, non-stop work. But I’m fit and ready now. It was a stress response. It was basically swelling in the bone."

"But if you carry on with it, it can go to a fracture and then a break. It was the first time I’d had anything like that, to be honest. Touch wood, this doesn’t change but I’m a kid who never gets injured. I don’t pull hamstrings, quads, calves, stuff like that."

The Englishman insisted that he now has a point to prove and added:

"When I’ve been injured, it’s been like a freak one. I was poked in the eye last season and out for six weeks, and this season, I had a stress response in the bone."

"I was out for four weeks, I came back and trained twice, felt it again and was out for another six. It was a difficult time, but now I’m back I’m happy and I have a point to prove."