Jürgen Klopp has developed a track record for turning No.10s into box-to-box No.8s. The list is extensive: Georginio Wijnaldum, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago Alcântara, Dominik Szoboszlai, Harvey Elliott, and indeed Jones himself. There’s just one more tactical quality he has to display before an England senior call-up is inevitable.

The 23-year-old broke into the team as a far more advanced midfielder than the system usually accommodated. A traditional No.10, Jones is excellent at receiving the ball on the half turn, as shown below.

Having been instructed to play as a No.8 for the last few years, Jones not only takes on more defensive responsibility but more often receives the ball facing forward now, and he has become a player who links the defence to the attack seamlessly for Liverpool. In fact, he’s adept at receiving the ball both facing forward and with his back to goal. Possessing a quick turn of pace, Jones shows all the signs of a Klopp midfielder. He contributes as well as just about anyone to the chaotic, deadly-fast attacks behind defences. 

What’s perhaps most remarkable, however, is how quickly he took to playing in a deep double-pivot for England’s U21 at the European Championships last summer. Playing the deep playmaker, Jones got used to working in tandem with another pivot midfielder to create deep triangles and boxes with the centre-backs during build-up. 

A similar skill to at No.10, he received the ball facing his own goal and knew when to turn with the ball or set it to a teammate.

So what has he left to do if he can play 6 (in a pair), 8 and 10? Well, off the ball, Jones has always done one thing… Press high.

In this sense, he’s again very much a product of ‘Klopp-ball’. Klopp’s teams always deploy a gegenpress to suffocate the opponents near their goal. Jones is key to this with his ability to swiftly change direction and his engine-like stamina levels. 

We see a lot with young midfielders — the foraging No.8s and 10s — that they will always opt to close down the player in possession, even naively at times. Jones has yet to display an ability to screen the defence and hold a structured shape within a deeper pressing role — effectively the Jordan Henderson role out of possession.

Jones has always had cover behind him from a teammate, who is available to jump if Jones chases the ball or gets bypassed in a press. Seeing Jones be that teammate who covers behind the press would confirm his adaptability to any midfielder’s potential scenario.