Curtis Jones backs Liverpool midfield case while covering right-back

Curtis Jones says he should be playing in Liverpool's midfield, even as the club keep using him at right-back. He goes into Friday night's trip to Aston Villa expected to make a fifth successive appearance there, and his own numbers give the argument real weight.

Why Jones thinks the midfield case is still there

Jones put it plainly: "I want to be in centre midfield, and I know that I'm good enough and I 'should' be playing there, but it's all about the team and that's what you have to put first." He also described himself as "a full-back/centre-midfielder," which is about as clear as players get when they want to be useful without pretending they have no preference.

The wider picture is hard to ignore. Curtis Jones has appeared in 47 of Liverpool's 54 games this season and has logged 2,670 minutes, the highest total of his Reds career. He has started only 26 of those matches, but the workload is still heavy, and it has come while he has been shifted between roles rather than settled into one.

The end product is the part Jones knows needs to rise. His return of 2 goals and 3 assists is his second-lowest goal contribution tally in a single campaign since becoming a regular in 2020/21, and he said he needs to "try to score more and assist more."

What Friday's run at right-back says about Liverpool's use of him

The basic point is simple: Liverpool are getting a lot of football out of Jones, just not always in the place he prefers. A fifth straight start at right-back against Aston Villa shows the team trust him there, even if that is not where he thinks his best football sits.

That does not make his midfield case fantasy. It makes it a fair internal debate. Jones is giving Liverpool 2,670 minutes, which is a serious load for any player, and his own view is that the central areas suit him best. The question is less about whether he can help at right-back, and more about whether Liverpool are getting the best version of him by keeping him there.

There is also a contract wrinkle in the background. Jones is approaching the last 12 months of his deal at Anfield, with no agreement in sight at present. That does not force a summer outcome, but it does mean his role conversation is happening at a point where Liverpool will want a clearer read on where he fits long term.

For now, the immediate test is Friday night at Villa Park, with Jones likely back at right-back again and still making the case for a return to midfield.