Curtis Jones has gone from fringe player to the form of his life at Liverpool under ‘amazing’ Arne Slot - so, was Jurgen Klopp’s exit actually a good thing for the all-action midfielder?

On the face of it, Jurgen Klopp's shock decision to step down as manager during the summer couldn't have come at a worse time for Jones, who played a career-high 36 times in all competitions last season.

It was the German who had given Jones his debut all the way back in 2019 and it was the German who stood by him through some dark days, when issues with form and fitness resulted in his Anfield future being called into question.

"There were times when I was being told I needed to go out on loan, or I might need to leave the club," Jones explained. "And he was the man, he stuck with me the whole time."

By the end of Klopp's tenure, in fact, Jones had emerged as the undisputed leader of Liverpool's press. "Curtis sets the standard for how it should look," Klopp stated.

There was, therefore, some uncertainty surrounding Jones and his exact role within Slot's side, particularly when it emerged that the Dutchman viewed compatriot Gravenberch as the potential solution to Liverpool's longstanding problem position.

Slot deployed Jones as a No.6 in his first game in charge: a behind-closed-doors friendly at Kirkby against Preston North End. It didn't go well. Liverpool lost 1-0 and Jones didn't impress - which didn't bode well for his first-team prospects.

The versatile Alexis Mac Allister was one of the Reds' best performers last season and almost certain to start, while the feeling was that the attacking midfielder role in Slot's 4-2-3-1 formation would suit Dominik Szoboszlai down to the ground.

It, therefore, didn't aid Jones' cause at all that he missed the start of new season with yet another one of the niggling injuries that have so often checked his progress.

When Jones was eventually fit to play, he was restricted to appearances off the bench in the Premier League, with Liverpool having made an impressive start to life under their new coach thanks in no small part to what was a pretty settled starting 11 during the first couple of months of the campaign.

However, Jones finally got a chance to impress from the off in the game against Crystal Palace just before the October international break - and he took it. During an energetic display in a slightly more advanced role, he showed what he was all about, creating a couple of big chances while at the same time retaining possession of the ball at a staggering rate.

Of the 47 passes he played that day at Selhurst Park, 46 found their intended target. It still came as something of a surprise to see Jones retain his place in the starting line-up for the visit of Chelsea on October 20, even if Alexis Mac Allister's exploits with Argentina undoubtedly played a part in Slot's thinking.

Jones, though, was immense against the in-form Blues, winning the penalty with which Mohamed Salah broke the deadlock before then bundling home the second-half winner after yet another brilliant burst into the area. As Slot also subsequently pointed out, Jones also shut down Chelsea's danger-man, Cole Palmer.

The man of the match-winning display against Chelsea capped a wondrous week for Jones, as he had just become a father for the first time, meaning he'd even been forced to sleep in the spare room the night before the game. Not that he felt that made his performance any more impressive.

"She's a little dream," he told Sky Sports, dismissing the idea that he'd already suffered a few sleepless nights in the build-up. "She's just awake, she wants a feed and change and then she's back asleep.

"So I could have stayed in the main room, I would have been fine, but I just thought it's wise that I stay in the spare room. I was wide awake and I had energy."

Which he put to excellent effect against Chelsea by showcasing the kind of all-round game that many have long believed should help him become one of England's best box-to-box midfielders. The Three Lions' current interim boss, Lee Carsley, who worked with Jones at under-age level, has described him as one of the most gifted players he's ever coached.

"His ability has never been in question, because technically he has always been very good and someone who is comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas," former Liverpool ace Danny Murphy told BBC Sport. "As well as that, he has always worked very hard without it too.

"In that way, Jones is very much the modern midfielder, but the only things that have been missing up until now are goals and assists.

"His low numbers for both are sometimes used against him... So, I was delighted to see him getting forward so much against Chelsea and I’d put that down to a mixture of things - obviously the manager has given him the freedom to do it, but he also has the confidence and belief in himself to make those runs, and the physical fitness to keep doing it."

There's no denying that Slot's arrival has actually aided Jones' development rather than stunted it. The academy product even had to clarify comments he made during the summer on the differences in style between Klopp and Slot, which were misconstrued as an attack on his former boss.

"How many games have I played for Liverpool?" he asked. "It's all because of Jurgen. He knows how much I love him, that I love all of his staff. It was just me saying that how I'm going to play now is a little bit of a change."

Jones freely admits, though, that he's benefitted enormously from the slight but significant tactical tweaks we've seen under Slot, whom he has described as "amazing".

"As a style of play, his suits me," Jones stated. "I came around the team as a young lad. I always had a way of playing, but I had to adapt and change. It wasn't anything I couldn't do. But this now is more me. I can get on the ball more. I can ‘do me’ more."

Slot is a big fan of Jones' belief in his own ability, believing it essential for any top talent, but has argued that maybe sometimes in the past he was "overconfident" and, thus, taking too many unnecessary risks. What he's seeing lately, though, is a higher intelligence and greater sense of maturity in his game.

The next challenge, Slot says, is for Jones to demonstrate he can deliver on a consistent basis. "If you are a quality player, to have a good performance once in a while, that's not a big accomplishment," he said ahead of Saturday's crucial Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

"But the best players in the world show up every three days, and if he wants to continue progressing, that's what he has to show now: that every three days he can be the player he's been for us in the last few weeks."

It's just as important for Slot that Jones sustains his hot streak because the 23-year-old's influence on Liverpool is growing with each passing game.

The Reds probably wouldn't be on top of both the Premier League and the Champions League without him. As well as playing the defence-splitting pass that sparked the second-half rout of Leverkusen, Jones made the brilliant break from inside his own half that led to Salah's stunning winner against Brighton.

Crucially, while Szoboszlai and even Mac Allister have not been at their best in recent weeks Jones has also formed a fantastic understanding with Gravenberch and while the Dutchman has been the revelation of the Reds' season so far as a defensive midfielder, Jones is probably the player that has taken Slot most by surprise.

"I still learn on a daily basis about every player and Curtis is one of them," the former Feyenoord coach said after the Leverkusen win. "I think he can, at this moment, play in every position.

"He's so comfortable on the ball, so you can trust him closer to your defence. But like we saw against Chelsea and I saw tonight as well, he is also able to penetrate the 18-yard box and give the last pass.

"He's really made a step up after pre-season and that's also why he gets his chances now because he is in a very good place at the moment."

There's no doubt about that. Before the last international break, Jones was a fringe player fighting to prove his worth. This time around, though, he's an almost certain starter, another player in the form of his life, for the form team in Europe right now. The only question is: Can they maintain it?