'It's not my choice' - Dominik Szoboszlai addresses Liverpool bust-up with Curtis Jones and opens up on vice-captaincy ambitions

The incident occurred in the aftermath of Liverpool's victory against the League One side in New York, where tensions appeared to boil over at the final whistle. Reports suggested that Jones was frustrated by the decision to hand the captain's armband to Kostas Tsimikas rather than himself after Szoboszlai was substituted. The situation reportedly escalated to the point where the Greek player ripped off the armband and threw it to the ground in the heat of the moment.

Speaking about the encounter, Szoboszlai was keen to stress that the media had overblown the significance of the exchange. He said: "It was never a debate between us three. We just discussed something on the pitch. What actually after you guys make it very big. But next time we will manage to do it in the changing room. But no, nobody was angry at no one."

He added: "It's all cleared. We are cool, everybody. No, there hasn't been any conversation about the vice-captaincy. Obviously we have Virgil as the captain. We have Alisson. We have Joe Gomez. So there was no conversation at all."

Despite the attempt to minimize the drama, Szoboszlai’s admission that he would welcome the chance to become the permanent vice-captain highlights a vacancy in the leadership group. Following the departure of long-serving left-back Andy Robertson, a spot has opened up behind captain van Dijk.

While Szoboszlai respects the established hierarchy of senior players like Alisson and Gomez, his willingness to step up reflects his growing influence within the squad since his arrival from RB Leipzig.

"I was very proud to have (the captaincy on tour). And let's see. It's not my choice. It's not fixed. If you get offered the vice-captain in Liverpool, you're going to take it. It would be a proud moment for me. But I respect everybody. So either way, whoever it's going to be, we're going to follow them," Szoboszlai said.

While the armband spat has been smoothed over, the long-term future of Jones remains a subject of intense speculation as the transfer deadline approaches. The midfielder currently has just under a year remaining on his contract, putting Liverpool in a difficult position as they look to avoid losing a homegrown talent for nothing.

Inter Milan have been particularly aggressive in their pursuit of the versatile 23-year-old, having already seen three separate offers knocked back by the Anfield hierarchy. Liverpool have reportedly set a minimum asking price of £35 million for Jones, refusing to be bullied into a cut-price deal despite his dwindling contract length.

Away from the captaincy drama and transfer talk, Liverpool’s results on the pitch have provided a stark reminder of the work still required before the competitive action begins. A recent 4-2 defeat to Leeds United in the United States served as a reality check, as the Reds surrendered an early lead to a side emboldened by Andoni Iraola’s aggressive recruitment drive.

Szoboszlai himself acknowledged that the squad is currently involved in a long-term project that requires patience from the fans, "We are all in the same boat, and we want the best for the club and for each other. We have a captain, van Dijk, and we will abide by everything he and the manager say."

"We may not be the oldest in the team, but we have been here a long time. We want to achieve success this season, it is a long-term project because we have a new manager and the team has changed," Szoboszlai said.