Arne Slot says Curtis Jones has a quality he and Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes “talk a lot about” as they eye new signings in the summer.
Jones was arguably Man of the Match in Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Everton in midweek, and did so in the unfamiliar position of right-back.
It was only his second start in the role – almost two years on from his last – but the natural midfielder impressed with his defensive awareness and ability in possession.
The flexibility he offers is clearly valuable to Slot, with the head coach revealing in his pre-Fulham press conference that the ability to play different positions is key to his talks on signings with Hughes.
“That’s very useful for me,” Slot explained on Thursday.
“Of course, me and Richard talk a lot about this season and next season, and it’s nice to have versatile players. And Curtis is definitely one of them.
“He has a skillset that he can defend, he can attack. That’s why he can play in so many positions.
“And he has this mentality, if you give him a challenge, he likes to be challenged. Yesterday was a challenge for him, because it wasn’t his normal position.
“Some players hate to be challenged, they want to stay in their comfort zone, but Curtis is the type of player who wants to be challenged.
“If you challenge him, if you tell him he’s playing against the best English midfielder under-21 (Cole Palmer) or something like this and I want to see how you do against that, then he’s up for the challenge.
“I didn’t ask him to stand up against Doucoure after the away game, but he likes those challenges as well!
“So, good to have him, now it’s up to him – if I play him again [at right-back] on Sunday – that it’s not one time showing yourself, because consistency is the thing which brings you from good to great.
“That is now, if I play him again, what he has to show on Sunday.”
Jones’ versatility had hamstrung him in his earlier years in Liverpool’s first team, denying him the chance to nail down a starting spot in any position.
But the 24-year-old has cemented himself among Slot’s regular options and is now on course to break his record tally of minutes in a single season.
Slot’s testament to his character – as a player who “likes to be challenged” – shone through as Jones spoke with Optus Sport after the Merseyside derby.
“At the end of the day, I see myself as a 10 or an eight, but I’m a footballer,” he said.
“If I’m playing eight, if I’m playing 10, if I’m playing off the left, if I’m playing as a false nine which I’ve played as well, as a defender, it’s fine, I’ll go out there.
“I’m a lad who studies the game a lot. It’s not that I study lads in defence but hearing what lads are being told, I just take it all in.
“I played an important game and I think it was alright, yeah!”
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