Kids like Curtis have to wait for their chance... but they know Liverpool way
there are the Under-18s and U-23s. Then the first team. That is such a massive gap, both in quality and intensity, and in physicality too. You look at it, and think, “How does any kid make that leap?”
These days, you’re still classed a young player at 22. At that age, I’d played more than four years and scored 30 goals a season for three consecutive years. Trent Alexander-arnold has done it and the chances are there at Liverpool, but even he came through later than he would have done in my time.
I reckon me, Steve Mcmanaman, Wayne Rooney all would have come through –and I reckon Curtis Jones will come through too because he has quality and intelligence – but we would have done it later and found it much harder.
I’ve spoken to Curtis a few times because Alex Inglethorpe at Liverpool’s academy had the smart idea of getting some of the former academy graduates like me, Macca and Rob Jones to mentor the kids.
Rob and Steve did it far more than me and showed them the attitude required, the mentality and discipline needed to make it these days.
Steven Gerrard did that too when he was U-18s manager and Neil Critchley. What they have done, is produce the “right” type of young players.
You look at Liverpool throughout their squad and they all have a personality
Jurgen Klopp demands. He wants “nice” people in his squad and he gets rid of any with the “wrong” character.
I look at Curtis Jones and you can see he has the right attitude. He wants to learn, he wants to progress. He has confidence and the right type of arrogance, but he is not one of these kids
I see so often these days who believe they’re the greatest player on earth before they’ve played 10 games. I think that attitude and humility in the Liverpool squad is a club thing, but also a city thing. It’s a trait shown by the people of Liverpool themselves. I think people who don’t know me are surprised when they meet me because I’m not the caricature they’ve read about. That’s because, in Liverpool, if you get above your station, your family and friends drag you back down to earth. And Liverpool is a club that has always been that way. Klopp embraces that, he has that mentality because where he is from in Germany, they share the same values and belief in humble, hard work. That is what makes this Liverpool team so great – no one is going to start believing the hype.