Curtis Jones has been in and – more often than not – out of the Liverpool squad this season, with the midfielder now explaining his ongoing issues.
After starting 40 of his 61 appearances over the previous two seasons, it has been a rough campaign for Jones, with three starts from 13 outings.
He was a surprise inclusion in the lineup to play Chelsea in midweek, bringing his first start for Liverpool since the 2-0 win over Napoli over five months previous.
The 22-year-old has rarely even made the bench, with an initial injury keeping him out until October, after which he has been involved in 18 of a possible 29 matchday squads.
Unlike Fabio Carvalho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who have simply found themselves on the fringes, Jones’ absence is due to a stress response injury that medical staff had “never seen before.”
“A specialist is now on board and I am only allowed to train for four days on the pitch and then I have to have a day off,” he told the Liverpool Echo.
“So if the day off comes at the same time as the game then I can’t do much.
“The injury is always going to be an ongoing thing but the staff have handled it well.”
Jones has, however, declared himself “back now,” adding that “the enjoyment is back now as well,” though his leg injury has been “kind of just going and coming back again.”
“I think it is just about managing how much I am on the pitch,” he continued.
“But at the same time it is hard because if I never go and train then how can the manager pick me? So, you know, it is hard.”
There, Jones touched upon a key issue when it comes to selection, particularly as Liverpool are struggling for results and are now out of the cup competitions that could have handed him an opportunity.
It does leave him appearing on the periphery, which has even led to calls for him to depart the club at the end of the season as part of the midfield rebuild.
Ever confident, Jones told the Liverpool Echo that he “couldn’t care” who is being linked with moves to Anfield, as he feels he has the “backing of the staff.”
“If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then you know there are options there that I already know of anyway,” he did add.
The No. 17 insists it is “not something that we have spoken about,” when it comes to his future, and that, when fit, he is prepared to “show I am good enough to come back.”