Liverpool star Curtis Jones has reflected on a “camp to remember” after he marked his England debut with a goal – as pundits hailed his maiden start as one of the best in living memory.
The midfielder earned a call-up to the senior Three Lions set-up for Lee Carsley’s final two games as interim head coach versus Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Jones was rewarded for his fine form under new Reds boss Arne Slot in the early months of the campaign, after nine players withdrew from the squad.
Having starred under Carsley at U-21 level previously, the Liverpool-born ace enjoyed an impressive debut as he capped off a measured performance with an exquisite goal. Scoring England’s third in a 3-0 win over Greece, he diverted a sumptuous flick past the opposition goalkeeper to put the seal on the victory in the 83rd minute.
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Following on from this, Jones put in another strong performance as the Three Lions defeated Ireland in a 5-0 win at Wembley on his second senior appearance. Reflecting on his experience, the Liverpudlian took to social media to say: “A camp to remember. Loved it! Great way to end it with qualification, thank you for all your support.”
His showings in a role at the base of England’s midfield earned the Reds academy graduate plaudits from a host pundits, with Micah Richards among those left impressed with the Kop ace. Speaking on ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, he said of the star’s debut: “Curtis Jones is an outstanding player. He played really well, even without his goal.
“With his goal it was an excellent performance. People were speaking last night about the inexperience in the squad but these players are playing for their clubs at a really high level.”
Dubbing Jones’ bow for his country one of the best he has witnessed, the ex-Manchester City defender added: “Angel Gomes played there and did very well at times, but Curtis Jones was extraordinary. That’s one of the best England debuts I’ve ever seen. If you look at Curtis Jones, his body positions, he was always available for the ball every time.”
Meanwhile, outbound interim coach Carsley said of the Liverpool man: “I think, him in that role, in terms of just being that person who is not afraid to just get on it, I thought it showed me his character and how fearless he is. I think the confidence from Liverpool is obviously helping him but going into internationals, he really felt like he was at home.”
As for Jones himself, he appeared pleased with his performance, saying: “I tried, I tried! The lads around helped as well. I just went out there and I was playing free and I had a smile on my face. I was enjoying it and I’m happy I came away with a goal as well.”
“When you’ve got a team like ours I can go high and I can come low and I can get on the ball and I can play. There’s lads there to help and there’s also lads who said I can go [forward] as well. Jude [Bellingham] stayed back, so I saw I had a chance to go and lucky enough I scored.”
