Curtis Jones shares Mohamed Salah's message to Liverpool squad and shuts down critics
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It was a reality check in terms of how I played and the role that he gave me.“Steven would be the first to say that once I overcame a thing where I’d complicate things and I thought I was the man because I had the 10 on my back and all things like that, that I’d be the first man that he’d pick on his team.“I’d always been a kid who was top of the age group and all things like that. A year after I’m around the first team and now I’m stood here on 200 games so he’s obviously a man who I would like to thank.“It's mad.
If I think about my first game, Wolves away, and how fast the whole thing has changed.“I can only thank the staff around me and the team-mates around me who have always got the belief in me to keep me at the club and when I play, to trust that I can play in that many games.“I can only thank my mum and the family around me, who have obviously played a huge part... the times when it was taxis into training and things like that.“And the environment I was obviously around as a kid, a Scouse kid, it's quite easy to take another route. But I only had one goal in my mind: that was to play at this club.“And that's what I'm doing so I've got a massive smile on my face.
“I've obviously heard that there's criticism at times that I don't move the ball quick enough.“That's just because I'm comfortable on the ball, I don't want to be in a rush and then I give a ball to a lad who is not as comfortable as me on the ball and he is kind of in a little bit of a challenge and then he gets the blame.“I'd rather just take it on me and know that a lad who comes to press me is going to have to do an awful lot to take the ball off me.“I'm adapting always, I'm trying to improve all the time. I want to score more goals, I want to get more assists.“In terms of the role that I play, I'm happy to be part of the team and if the gaffer picks me, he picks me.