Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

CURTIS TIGERS With Klopp having to refresh his side on a small budget, the emergence of teen star Jones could add more bite in his midfield

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Perhaps it was a statement for the future too.

Klopp (below) knows he won’t be bringing in many new faces this summer, if any, so these final few games are less about records and more about making his young talent ready to fill any gaps next season.

And some pundits are impressed.

Danny Murphy suggested: “Jones is going to save Liverpool a lot of money in the transfer market.”

Given there is no real money to spend this summer, such a prospect is vital for Klopp, even if he plays it down.

“I’m not sure it’s about how high the stakes are, it’s about how ready are the boys,” he said. “There are no old and young players, there are only good and not so good players, and I hope we have only good players; exceptiona­l players!

“The problem, not just for young players, but all players not in the starting line-up at the moment, is that this team is really good. So it is difficult to play 40 games in a row.

“But young players have so much time on their hands that they really can improve. And they don’t have the pressure, especially not from us.

“If they use the time then the future is beautiful for them.”

There are some gaps to be filled – Adam Lallana will depart and James Milner is not getting any younger – so midfield is an area where Klopp needs new blood. His hope is Jone will provide it.

Reds midfielder Fabinho certainly thinks he can.

“Curtis is a very talented player with huge potential,” Fabinho said. “We have a lot of confidence in him. He works very hard with us and he has a lot of personalit­y.”

Jones, who almost won the match with a shot that flew inches wide, helped Liverpool provide a compelling first half in which full-back Robertson opened the scoring with a header.

But with striker Mo Salah having one of those days when he was never going to score, missing a golden chance in the dying seconds to win the game, Burnley dug in.

And the Clarets, for whom keeper Nick Pope (below, left) excelled, then exploited a weakness in Liverpool’s setpiece defending to level through a fine Jay Rodriguez finish.

The key for the Kop youngsters, says Klopp, is dealing with the intensity of Premier League warfare.

“It is not about making incredible steps,” the German said. “It is to gain stability, to be always there when you have to. To have intensity.”

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