Liverpool star Curtis Jones is already must pick for Thomas Tuchel and England
Curtis Jones was the only Liverpool player in action as Thomas Tuchel started life in charge of England with a 2-0 win over Albania on Friday.
Arsenal left-back Miles Lewis-Skelly scored to put England ahead on his debut before captain Harry Kane finished off the Wembley contest in the second half.
The Three Lions will be confident of claiming another victory in the early days of their World Cup qualifying campaign when they host an inferior Latvia side on Monday.
But while Liverpool sit top of the Premier League, Jones was the only Reds representative in Tuchel’s line-up, albeit Trent Alexander-Arnold would have likely featured if not injured.
Jones has made himself a must-pick for England and Tuchel
Jones was one of the beneficiaries of Lee Carsley’s spell as England interim boss and was handed his Three Lions debut by the 51-year-old back in November.
| Curtis Jones stats | England |
| Appearances | 3 |
| Goals | 1 |
The Liverpool man grabbed such an opportunity with both hands and scored during a 3-0 UEFA Nations League win over Greece on debut.
He subsequently made a good account of himself when England defeated Ireland 5-0 just three days later, before putting in another brilliant performance against Albania on Friday.
The Three Lions dominated large spells of their 2-0 victory, enjoying 74 per cent possession, and Jones was at the heartbeat of his side’s impressive ball retention.
The Liverpool man arguably outshone England mainstay Declan Rice as he completed 94 passes with an impressive accuracy of 95 per cent.
Jones has proven he can be the man to make the Three Lions tick in the middle of the park, so Tuchel must continue to select him.
Jones is enjoying his best-ever Liverpool season
The fact that Jones is now excelling on the international stage will not come as a surprise to the Anfield faithful, who have seen the best of the 24-year-old this season.
With 37 appearances under his belt, the dynamic midfielder has already made more outings under Arne Slot this term than he ever did during a single season under former boss Jurgen Klopp.
Jones has previously stated that Slot’s playing style suits his game more than that of Klopp, and now both Liverpool and England are reaping the benefits of that.
He has also already matched his career-best tally of nine goal contributions in one season, having notched three goals and six assists across all competitions already.
The Anfield faithful would not be surprised to see Jones get himself on the scoresheet as Liverpool continue to close in on the Premier League title, while the 24-year-old continues to stake his claim in the England starting lineup.