Liverpool assistant sends Gareth Southgate message over Curtis Jones England call-up
- Jones has become a key player for Liverpool in recent months
- Both Lijnders and Klopp have been keen to praise his performances
- Lijnders has called on Southgate to give Jones an England cap
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has called on Gareth Southgate to give Curtis Jones his maiden senior international cap for England.
Jones has been a key player throughout the 2023/24 season for Liverpool, making 22 appearances in all competitions and helping the Reds build up a five-point lead atop the Premier League table.
As well as being a regular at club level for Liverpool, Jones has also been a reliable asset for England's under-21 side. Jones helped the team to a famous European Under-21 Championship in 2023, scoring the winning goal in the final of the competition against Spain.
Despite the midfielder's impressive showings at both underage level for England and senior level for Liverpool, Jones is still waiting for his maiden Three Lions cap under manager Gareth Southgate.
During a press conference ahead of Liverpool's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg clash with Fulham, Reds assistant manager Lijnders was asked about Jones potentially earning a call-up from Southgate.
"It is a no brainer," he said. "You have eyes, no?
"If you are top of the league and one of the most decisive players in the team, the player who with and without the ball sets the tone and takes the initiative and always shows up, then..."
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Manager Jurgen Klopp has also previously stressed Jones' importance to how Liverpool play, insisting that he "sets the level" for his teammates week in, week out.
"We all know how good a player Curtis is, he is technically incredibly skilled, but he finds more and more direction in his dribbling, he gets better out of situations and his pressing and counter-pressing is meanwhile," the boss said. "He sets the level actually, how it should look.
"Really happy with that. He keeps every player in the game."
Jones' next chance of earning his first England cap will come in late March when the Three Lions face off against Brazil and Belgium in friendlies at Wembley Stadium.
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