Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp may no longer be the man in charge at Anfield, but he continues to influence stars at Anfield after one player shared a heart-warming message
Curtis Jones has lifted the lid on how Jurgen Klopp is still helping to motivate him seven months on from his Liverpool exit.
Klopp – who is set to begin work as Red Bull’s head of global soccer in January – stepped down as Reds manager at the end of last season. However, Liverpool successor Arne Slot is reaping the rewards of his investment in Jones, considering the player has been a constant component in the new coach’s rotation this term.
Jones – who turns 24 next month – celebrated his 100th Premier League appearance in style after scoring in the 3-1 Boxing Day win over Leicester City. And ahead of Sunday’s visit to West Ham, he revealed how Klopp showed his class by reaching out to commemorate his latest achievement from afar.
“I actually got a nice text off him,” the academy graduate told the official Liverpool club website. “He was the one that said I’d played 100 games in the Premier League – I didn’t even know. ‘A hundred, onto the next 500. Congratulations, my friend.'”
The England international revealed just what his former boss’ gesture meant to him – and that he isn’t the only one to hear regularly from Klopp. He added: “It means everything. Look, he has been texting me loads since he’s been gone. He texts me all the time. That’s what he is like as well with all the lads. He keeps in touch. He is the man who made me from a kid to a man.
“There was always talk around me, ‘Is he good enough? He’s always injured and he needs a loan.’ Things like that. There’s a reason why I’m still here now, and that’s because of him and the belief that he had in me and always knew the star that I can be. I’m not saying I’m a star now but he knows if I’m doing the right things – I’m scoring goals and I’m playing every week – with the quality that I’ve got, I can always help the team.
“I’m grateful for him and his staff, and it puts a smile on my face when I see a text off him there. I just said to him, ‘I hope you are enjoying your time, your Christmas.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I am!’ It’s nice and he’s always there with us. He’s a great man, so I’m happy that he’s still around from afar.”
The win over Leicester was enough to pull Liverpool six points clear at the Premier League summit after Chelsea lost at home to Fulham. It was also just the latest example of Jones’s tide-turning influence in a game for the incumbent leaders this season.
The local talent had arguably his best performance in a Liverpool shirt when he grabbed a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Chelsea back in October. It was a fortnight later that he assisted Mohamed Salah in a 2-1 comeback win over Brighton, and he more recently grabbed a goal in a 3-3 draw away to Newcastle.
Almost six years have passed since Klopp handed Jones his first-team debut, having raved about the midfielder’s skill set prior to promoting him to the senior side. The German gave senior debuts to dozens of talents over the course of almost a decade at Anfield, with the likes of Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Stefan Bajcetic being among the more successful.
Jones has started in 13 of his 21 appearances across all competitions this term and is enjoying his best season to date in a Reds shirt as Liverpool compete across four fronts. Slot has his side looking like favourites for the Premier League title, while they’re also three points clear at the top of the Champions League table, through to the last four of the League Cup and set to begin their FA Cup campaign.
The depth of Slot’s squad will become even more essential for Liverpool’s title hopes as the season progresses. And Klopp continues to have a hand in steering Jones and his team-mates from afar.
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