'Steven Gerrard saved my Liverpool career with blunt reality check - I knew I had to change'
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Curtis Jones has now made more than 200 appearances for Liverpool and the midfielder has spoken about the impact of Steven Gerrard's guidance during his academy daysCurtis Jones has often been the unsung hero for Liverpool. Jones achieved this milestone at the age of 24 years and 317 days, while Gerrard did so at 23 years and 121 days.READ MORE: Alan Shearer claims Mo Salah 'didn't have a choice' as he waves goodbye to LiverpoolREAD MORE: Jamie Carragher makes Mo Salah 'regret' plea after Liverpool icon's farewell messageIn a post-match interview with LFCTV, Jones recalled a pivotal moment from his early career when Gerrard himself intervened to guide the young midfielder's trajectory."Steven Gerrard has obviously been a huge part of my career and life," Jones reflected, discussing his time under Gerrard in the youth set-up."I say life because he was probably the first man to really have a pop at me at the academy, and just changed me to think: 'Yeah, I'm not better than anybody else'."It was a reality check in terms of the way I played and the role that he gave me.
Steven would be the first to say that once I overcame a thing where I complicate things and thought I was the man because I had a [number] 10 on my back and things like that, I'd be the first man he'd pick on his team."He added: "That came with him. Coming from a man like him, who played the game, who I idolised, I thought: 'I've got to change if it's him that's telling me'."From there he stuck with me and I stuck with him and we worked.
A year after I'm around the first team and I'm stood here now on 200 games, so he's obviously a man that I'd like to thank as well."Jones has featured intermittently in Slot's squad since the Dutchman took charge, and despite making his debut six years ago, the midfielder has yet to cement himself as a guaranteed starter. Instead, he's the heart of the midfield, enabling his team to flourish.His knack for maintaining possession and distributing the ball effectively to his teammates underscores this point.While Jones may not have been a regular starter in the past, he's making it increasingly hard for Slot to overlook him for crucial matches, thereby intensifying the competition for a starting spot in the midfield.Sometimes, a player hitting form can feel like a new signing.