Liverpool manager Arne Slot has pointed out that Curtis Jones’ impressive rise in form has coincided with the birth of his first child.
Jones spent the night before Chelsea’s visit to Anfield in October sleeping in his spare room to ensure he was fully rested after welcoming daughter Giselle home. The Liverpool academy graduate quickly lit up the high clash of the Premier Leaguewinning the penalty which Mohamed Salah coolly slotted before bursting into the box to stab in what turned out to be the winning goal. Jones duly celebrated by sucking his thumb.
Slot has repeatedly backed Jones in the weeks since and highlighted the life-changing development that led to his improved production. “His performances went down a bit, but since he became a father he has stood out again,” he added. LiverpoolThe team boss told the assembled media ahead of his side’s meeting with the Premier League Aston Villa on sunday
“With Curtis he became a fighter and I had nothing to do with it. Since he became a father he started to put in big performances. He already did it in the first few weeks of pre-season and I thought he was a quality. player.”
After shutting down the considerable threat of Cole Palmer during that 2-1 win against Chelsea, a jubilant Jones hailed the arrival of his daughter. “It’s the best thing ever,” he said Sky Sports. “I’m playing with a smile on my face. It’s a different kind of joy. She’s a little dream.”
Jones had to withdraw from the England squad during the international break in October to attend the birth of his first child, but will get another chance to make a late senior debut after receiving a call for November’s League of Nations matches.
Slot added that “how the team plays” was also a factor in Jones’ stellar performances of late.
“He has a lot of qualities on the ball,” said the Dutch coach, “when he has it he’s never afraid to do something special. Sometimes he has a little confidence, but confidence is important. He’s also at an incredibly high level .work rate and we can trust him defensively. You saw how he performed against Cole Palmer. If he wants to continue to progress, he has to show those performances every three days.
