FA Cup will be crucial for Curtis Jones’ Liverpool prospects

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Liverpool take on Shrewsbury Town tonight in the FA Cup fourth round replay at Anfield.

The Reds will be fielding a team of youngsters for the game, with Jurgen Klopp whisking his senior stars off for the winter break.

U23s coach Neil Critchley will be on the touchline for the game, with the German watching live via a laptop from afar (Guardian).

Liverpool’s team is set to consist of ‘U19s and U20s at best’, and for Curtis Jones, it’s potentially a very big night.

There have been whispers that he could be the man to lead the team out wearing the captain’s armband.

That would be a huge deal for the winger, who has been with Liverpool since the age of nine.

Following his spectacular strike against Everton in the third round, one gets the feeling that this competition will be massive for Jones in the context of perhaps having more first-team involvement next season.

TBR’s view – FA Cup chances vital for Jones

Jones, who made his first-team debut in the FA Cup around this time last year, will be hoping to feature more prominently in the first-team next season and so he has to make the most of these kinds of opportunities.

The spotlight will be on him as one of the more experienced players against Shrewsbury despite his own tender years, and if he’s wearing the captain’s armband then he’ll be under the microscope even more.

It’s a chance for him to stand up and show he deserves first-team involvement next term rather than be loaned out.