'Since he became a dad' - Arne Slot pinpoints Curtis Jones' uptick in Liverpool form ahead of potential England debut

The 23-year-old became a father for the first time last month, with the Reds academy product putting in a man-of-the-match display in their win over Chelsea soon after. Off the back of Jones being called up to the England squad, Slot has quipped that becoming a parent might be behind the former England Under-21 international's strong form of late.

He told reporters: "With Curtis it is maybe not me who did it but because he became a father – and I had nothing to do with that! You never know if that plays a part or not but since the moment he became a father he started putting in great performances. He already did this in the first few weeks that we worked together in pre-season – I was like ‘wow, quality player’ – but then his performances dropped. But since the moment he became a father he was outstanding again. I think it might have to do with that a bit, but in general it has to do with how the team plays."

Jones is hoping to make his England debut in their Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland later this month, while securing a regular spot in Liverpool's starting XI. He is on the right track to achieve both of those goals at present.

Jones - who has already made 12 appearances this season for his club - will hope to get more game time for Liverpool when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday night.