Arne Slot must drop 8/10 Liverpool star vs Manchester United; criminally underused ace deserves start
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Curtis Jones has more than earned the trust of the manager ahead of Liverpool’s upcoming visit to Old Trafford this weekend.The Scouser excelled in the 3-1 win against Crystal Palace, despite featuring at right-back.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYThe Academy graduate picked up an assist for Andy Robertson’s lead-doubling effort, as the Reds secured a tighter grip on Champions League qualification.Curtis Jones has earned a starting spot with LiverpoolWe’re struggling to understand why exactly our No.17 has struggled to break into this Liverpool midfield this season.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage?
Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustParticularly given that Alexis Mac Allister has looked like a shadow of his former self for much of the 2025/26 campaign.Yes, the Argentine did register two assists on the day, but we rather think the credit for both goals should be entirely with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, with the pair showcasing remarkable technique.With two consecutive starts for Arne Slot’s men, Jones has excelled with both opportunities, averaging a score of 8.05/10 (via Fotmob’s ratings). Players Minutes played Fotmob rating (over last two games) Curtis Jones 177 8.05 Alexis Mac Allister 96 8.7 Ryan Gravenberch 101 6.35 Dominik Szoboszlai 180 6.85 * Curtis Jones compared with fellow senior Liverpool midfielders (Fotmob)The raw ratings should, we advise, be taken with a pinch of salt on Mac Allister’s part, given the unfair weighting given to his assists at the weekend.Arne Slot shouldn’t even think of selling Curtis JonesAs far as we’re concerned here at Empire of the Kop, we’ve not really seen the best of Mac Allister this season.If anything, there’s a good chance the former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder will be sold on this summer, as the club looks to bolster its transfer kitty.While we appreciate that this is unlikely to be the first and only sale Liverpool need to make, we don’t think Curtis Jones should be put on the market.
Curtis Jones stats (per 90) Percentiles 0.15 xA 83rd 0.23 big chances created 72nd 0.98 successful dribbles 90th 11.41 defensive contributions 72nd 7.06 recoveries 96th * Curtis Jones stats in the 2025/26 Premier League season (Fotmob)The 25-year-old is incredibly versatile, for starters, showcasing his value in an unnatural position at right-back.But statistically speaking, he’s one of the more front-footed midfielders in our arsenal. Look at Jones man https://t.co/eB1Gtphl5j — Anfield Fix (@AnfieIdFix) April 26, 2026We don’t get the impression we’ve maximised the possible value we could be getting from Jones on the pitch.And he’s at the very least earned an opportunity to showcase his worth in our remaining four Premier League games.