The fatal Curtis Jones flaw that could spell the end of Liverpool career

It was a match to forget for Curtis Jones against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.

The 25-year-old was drafted into the lineup at the last minute - after Florian Wirtz reported a back injury in the warmup.

Initially taking his place in midfield the England international endured a horror start - leading to a quick switch of position from Arne Slot.

The Premier League champions’ head coach opted to deploy Jones at right-back instead and brought Dominik Szoboszlai into the centre of midfield.

It wasn’t a pretty display overall but Liverpool got the job done courtesy of a 97th-minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister. After the game Jones was subjected to plenty of criticism - following his first Premier League start since January 17.

On this evidence it’s little wonder that Slot has run out of patience with the playmaker - and now Jamie Carragher has highlighted a fatal flaw in the homegrown midfielder’s game which works against Liverpool.

Carragher: Jones holds onto the ball too long

“Curtis Jones coming into the starting lineup really late for Florian Wirtz,” the Champions League winner said on Sky Sports’ coverage of the Forest game at half-time.

“He’s coming really late, and he’s really struggled. I’ll be surprised if he comes out for the second half if I’m being totally honest.

“But 16 seconds into the game now, yes, you might say he’s a slow starter, but when Curtis Jones is making mistakes in midfield, it’s very similar to that. So, it’s not a new thing with Curtis Jones. He takes too long on the ball.

“I don’t think he’ll ever get that out of his game. He needs to be a lot quicker and a lot sharper and that’s always been his biggest problem.”

Jones running out of chances

Jones really hasn’t got many opportunities to iron out this kink in his game. Unless there is an injury crisis in midfield it’s hard to see how he gets back into Slot’s XI at the minute.

It’s clear something’s gone wrong.

He was linked with Tottenham and Inter back in January and it would be no surprise to see him sold in summer. Under contract only until 2027 Jones’ transfer value will rapidly diminish if the club hang onto him beyond the end of the current campaign.

There has been no breakthrough in talks over a new deal either - with the club and Jones not yet coming to terms over an extension.

It leaves the player in a very difficult position; he must either correct these flaws and do so quickly or else he will be seeking new employers come the end of the season.

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