The 22-year-old has scored three goals in 54 Premier League games.

Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside's The Red Kop podcast, he said: "I have watched Curtis Jones since his youth days as I live right next to the academy.

"He has always been a confident lad and always looked like he could pull something out of the bag. He gets a lot of unwarranted criticism in the Liverpool first team, for me that is partly down to the run of games that he gets.

"Don’t get me wrong, he hasn't pulled up any trees when he has played on many occasions - although it must be difficult when you are in one week and out the next six. So I always have sympathy for players in that situation, but his ability has always been there and you can clearly see that from what he did for the goal [against Arsenal], with that backheel.

"He has got it in him, we just don’t see it enough. He has had injuries and things going on so it was nice to see him back in there. I just don’t personally see, if we are going to rebuild, how he is going to fit in.

"But that is up to him to answer that question."