'I thought it was wrong': Curtis Jones clarifies Jurgen Klopp's comments after being accused of 'disrespecting' former Liverpool manager
Curtis Jones insists he loves Jurgen Klopp after being accused of disrespecting his former manager with comments about Arne Slot.
He Liverpool The midfielder said he is “happier than ever” under the Reds' current manager and suggested he prefers the new style of play.
But his comments led some to believe he was implying he did not fully enjoy his time under Klopp.
Among them were talkSPORT's Ade Oladipo and Gabby Agbonlahor, who suggested Jones was being “disrespectful” to the German.
“What does that say? Does it say that Jones was frustrated by his lack of game time under Klopp?” Agbonlahor said. “I think it’s a bit disrespectful. Jurgen Klopp.”
Now, however, Jones has made it clear that he feels nothing but love for his former boss and does not want to take anything away from the work he did at Anfield, including the role it played in his career.
Speaking after Liverpool's 2-1 win over Arsenal in pre-season, the Reds academy product said: “The principles are always the same, we want to work hard, press, dominate teams. I think that's what was a bit misunderstood.”
“I would like to say now about this that I have seen things that seemed disrespectful to me in some way.
“But Jurgen knows I would never be that kid. He knows how much I love him, how much I love all his staff.
“I just said that the way I'm going to play now is a little bit of a change.
“He's given me the platform and the confidence in myself to know that I'm a guy that can step up as well, I'm not just a guy that's just a team guy, I can really be counted on. I don't want to take anything away from him and pass that on to him.”
“How many games have I played? It’s all thanks to him. There were times when I was told I had to go out on loan or maybe I would have to leave the club.
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“And he was the man, he stayed there the whole time.”
After making his debut in 2018, Jones won a Premier League title, two League Cups and an FA Cup under Klopp, who left Anfield at the end of last season.
Jones, 23, was Forced to retire due to injury against Real Betis but has since recovered, starting against the Gunners on Wednesday.
Mohamed Salah and Fabio Carvalho put the Reds 2-0 up before Kai Havertz scored before half-time to halve the deficit.
