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As time approaches the January transfer window, the already pretty high chances of Gini Wijnaldum leaving Liverpool for free at the end of the season are only increasing.
Wijnaldum is a player who has become vital under Jurgen Klopp, playing almost every game when available, in a variety of roles, but starting in the New Year, he can sign a pre-contract agreement with any club abroad before the 2021 Season. / 22.
As important as Wijnaldum is to the Reds, he is also a player in his 30s, and Liverpool may be looking to the future, seeking to protect themselves from having to replace several of their top stars in one fell swoop.
With other midfielders besides key men like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane, possibly having to be eliminated at some point during the next few seasons, gradually replacing them, over several seasons, is a logical move.
It makes even more sense when you look at some of the players already on Liverpool’s books who are at the beginning of their careers.
Against Leicester on Sunday, Liverpool’s midfielder, with Curtis Jones and Naby Keita in, looked offensive on paper, but both have adapted their games this season to be more resilient and responsible on defense.
Several Liverpool players, Wijnaldum being the most obvious, have successfully played roles you may not stereotypically associate them with, and Jones could be the latest example of that.
When Jones came to the Academy, there were times when he played to the left of a front three, showcasing his dribbling skills, accurate shooting, and vision.
But he has always been more of a central midfielder, and now he has increased his defensive performance to such an extent that he helped Liverpool dominate players like Youri Tielemans and James Maddison with relative ease.
During the 90 minutes, Jones recovered nine balls (including a vital one, regaining possession from Jamie Vardy) and posted an impressive 91 percent passing accuracy, the kind of numbers Wijnaldum posts from the same position number eight.
As Theo Squires said on the Blood Red podcast: “Jones is 19, but he feels like he’s 23 or 24. He’s so mature and he’s playing years earlier than you might expect.
“This Liverpool midfield is perfectly prepared for his career. Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Wijnaldum, James Milner – they are all approaching 30, so in a couple of years they will be eliminated.
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“It’s almost like Steven Gerrard came into the Liverpool squad, we’re not going to compare him, but they have the right players for him to learn.
“Gerrard has always talked about Paul Ince, Jamie Redknapp and Gary McAllister, and he had more and more opportunities as they became easier for him – you can see the same thing happening with Jones.”
Just over 12 months ago, Jones was tasked with adding goals to his game, culminating in a hat-trick for Barry Lewtas’s Under-19s in the UEFA Youth League against Napoli.
Then came the job of making him thrive under greater responsibility, with Liverpool capitalizing on that exuberance and confidence that has always flowed through him. A successful step up to becoming the U23 captain under Neil Critchley was the result of that decision.
Now he, too, has taken the next step, this time as a member of the first-team squad under Klopp, seemingly adding defensive discipline to his game.
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Leicester was just Jones’ third Premier League start, but there will be many more this season, giving him many more opportunities to become the complete midfielder he is showing signs of becoming.
Wijnaldum isn’t the only player Liverpool could make Jones a replacement for, but the Dutchman appears to be the most likely to advance first, and there were signs on Sunday that Jones may become that kind of midfielder.
Jones will have his eyes on that role should it be available as expected in about six months. Given his promotion to date and the likelihood of more team opportunities before then, he might as well take advantage of it.
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