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Liverpool’s Curtis Jones: ‘Growing up in Toxteth made me the player I am today’

Exclusive interview: The teenager has soared through the youth ranks, been compared to Sadio Mane and set straight by Steven Gerrard, and now stands on the brink of his dream Anfield debut

Tom Kershaw
Sunday 05 January 2020 19:00 GMT
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It’s the beating grey heart of Toxteth. An Eden of concrete, red brick, crimson scarves and, today, pelting rain. When Liverpool score, the cheers squeeze through every window and door-frame, forming a type of wind tunnel that echoes down Gilbert Street. Whether its unity, austerity or tragedy, football pervades few areas of society in England like it does here. So occasionally, on sunless days like these, wrapped safely in the warmth of Melwood, Curtis Jones glances outside and allows his mind to ride the bus back home.

“At the top of my street, there’s a primary school. In the evenings, we’d climb over the fence and play on their pitch or take one of the goals and just play in the street all night – we’d always put it back afterwards though,” he laughs. “I grew up the way a lot of Scousers do, just being a street kid, not having the best facilities, and making the most out of everything you can.

“I remember seeing my mum standing in the freezing cold [to pick me up from training] and having to pay for taxis to get me home and that’s what drives you on. Growing up [in Toxteth] made me the player I am today - confident, brave, knowing where I need to get to. I think a lot of the fans come from a similar background. When I see people from the area, they’re always buzzing for me.”

At 18, Jones is already one of the most exciting prospects in the country, but the sense of hype and anticipation around him has been managed carefully to prevent it snowballing beyond the city. Privately, academy coaches know his ceiling could be astronomical - a strong, slick and instinctive winger who joined the club aged six, soared through the youth teams, rejected offers from United and City and is stitched by Liverpool’s working class ideals - so nefarious distractions like the media have been kept at a distance. He’s a rough diamond and celebrity stays local until you’re polished on the pitch.

Jones has spent the past year training with the first-team, being blooded in a men’s environment, shadowing the best front-three in the country, and academy manager Alex Inglethorpe has likened him to a hybrid between Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana. In January, he made his senior debut at Wolves in the FA Cup, but tonight, when Arsenal visit Merseyside, the reins are set to finally be snapped on Jones’ journey from Toxteth to Anfield.

“It definitely hits you,” he says. “Everyone says I’m a confident lad and that I’ve got that bit of swagger about me, but regardless of who you are, there’s always that bit of fear inside your body. Not because of the opposition, but the opportunity, because you know it’s your chance and you don't want to fail.

“I know I need to take things slowly and wait until my time’s right. Sadio [Mane], Mo [Salah], Bobby [Roberto Firmino], the lads in the dressing room are some of the best players in the world. If I was still sitting in the stands watching them I’d be like ‘oh my God’.

'Being a local lad, my head’s only ever been on staying here to represent the area'

“In your career, opportunities will come along the way to get more first-team football, but I know I’m not missing out on anything because I see what Jurgen [Klopp] tells the players, he speaks to me one-to-one, tells me what I need to improve on. I know he’s got faith in me. Being a local lad, my head’s only ever been on staying here to represent the area and show what local boys are capable of.”

A steely assurance drips through as Jones speaks. He wants to become more than a squad player, to be counted on like the team’s leaders are now, to win trophies and make countless Premier League appearances. His confidence is untethered, but over the past two years, he’s also been forced to learn restraint.

After playing in the U23s at 16, he became guilty of letting things become “a little easy” when he returned to his own age-group. He developed a tendency to flaunt his talent and over-elaborate on the ball. Over the summer, Klopp insisted he “still has a lot to learn”, and it wasn’t until eight months after his debut that he made his second senior appearance - winning the man of the match award against MK Dons. Off the pitch, with professional contracts still a pipe dream until the moment the ink hits the paper, he suffered from teenage lapses of discipline.

“I wasn’t always in the right shape,” he admits. “I wasn’t always taking it as seriously as I should’ve been. A few situations can always happen, at school, a few problems [off the pitch]… and then Steven came in and got a grip of me.”

Of course, it was Steven Gerrard. To a child raised in Liverpool, Gerrard was like Maradona and Mother Theresa, a working-class idol and samaritan rolled into one. “It was crazy when I heard he was coming in as U18s coach,” he says. “He was always the player you looked forward to seeing at matches. I remember talking with the other Scousers in the team at the time being like ‘it can’t be real’.

Curtis Jones celebrates with Steven Gerrard after defeating Sevilla in the Uefa Champions League

“A lot of people didn’t see the work both of us put in to push me on to get into the first team. Things weren’t always easy, but he was the perfect person at the perfect time to help me. He was the main coach who really told me what I had to work on. It was my all-round game, but also my all-round person. He knew the talent I had and put the fine details to me.”

Since Gerrard’s departure, Jones has captained the U19s and U23s and relished the sense of responsibility. He realises as much as those around him that there’s been a “massive” transformation since he first stepped through the doors at Melwood. Meanwhile, James Milner has taken over as the mentor to deliver the “rockets” that keep him on a track. “When I started to show [things were easy] in the wrong way, he told me: ‘Look, you can’t be doing those type of things as the game gets bigger’… and I’m saying it in a lot better tone that he did,” Jones laughs. “Coming from him, it really opens your eyes.”

“It’s come to the time now where it’s the big opportunity I’ve been working for all of my life. When I get on the pitch, I need to shine, not be afraid of anything, and show the talent I am.”

Jones glances out the window again. A double-decker bus sifts through the puddles outside the training ground; the same type he’d take after school with his mum to catch a glimpse of the U21s. It may have been “10 years in the making”, but nobody has to wait for him in the cold anymore.

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