Arne Slot praises Curtis Jones for endurance and ability

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has commended Curtis Jones for his eagerness to tackle challenging moments, with the young players comeback aligning with the teams strongest sequence of performances in the Premier League since last September.

The 24 year old product of the clubs youth system shone brightly during a Champions League triumph on the road against Inter Milan, marking his second outing in a streak of five consecutive appearances at the start of this month, and he has followed that up by playing a vital part in a run of four straight victories.

Jones has perhaps profited from the absences caused by injuries to the recently recovered Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, along with the ban on Dominik Szoboszlai, yet as the engine room approaches complete fitness with just Wataru Endo remaining unavailable, he has staked a strong claim for retaining his place in the lineup.

One of his standout attributes is his desire to possess the ball regardless of circumstances, which proves advantageous in nearly every instance, as Slot noted.

The brightest aspect for Jones is his current capacity to remain injury free across four or five matches consecutively, completing the full 90 minutes on each occasion.

Earlier this term, Liverpool endured a dismal spell of nine losses across 12 fixtures, but they have since rallied and enter their New Years Day encounter with Leeds at Anfield in fourth position, though trailing leaders Arsenal by 13 points.

Slot aims to sustain this upward trajectory even without the UKs most expensive acquisition Isak, who faces several months out following an operation for a fractured leg, and the other recent addition Giovanni Leoni, whose campaign has been cut short by a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Regrettably, we will not witness Giovanni Leoni for the rest of this season, and it will be some time before Alex returns to action, Slot remarked.