There he is, Liverpool find incredible midfielder to replace Curtis Jones | OneFootball

Liverpool have found the perfect midfielder to replace Curtis Jones with.

There comes a point when every contract saga reaches the same conclusion. If an agreement still hasn't been found after years of discussions, it's usually because neither side is fully convinced.

That increasingly feels like the case with Jones.

The Liverpool midfielder is now into the final 12 months of his contract, and there is still no breakthrough over an extension. For a player who came through the academy and was once viewed as a cornerstone of the club's future, that's a telling situation.

It also says plenty that Jones has never truly established himself as an undisputed starter.

Every season has felt like the one where he would finally kick on, but something has always got in the way. Injuries, inconsistency and competition for places have all played a part, yet the outcome has remained the same. Jones has been a useful squad player, but Liverpool have spent years waiting for him to become much more than that.

At the same time, there hasn't been much to suggest the midfielder is desperate to stay at Anfield either. If there was a real determination from both parties to continue together, you would expect a new deal to have been agreed long before his contract entered its final year.

Instead, Liverpool are now facing an increasingly familiar dilemma.

Reports continue to link Jones with Inter Milan, and it's a move that makes plenty of sense. Whether the Italian giants sign him this summer, agree a pre-contract in January or simply wait until next summer to pick him up for nothing, they appear determined to land him eventually.

From Liverpool's perspective, that leaves only one sensible option.

Rather than risk losing another valuable player for free, the club should cash in while they still can. It would generate funds for Andoni Iraola to reshape the midfield with players better suited to his high-intensity system, while giving Jones the fresh start his career arguably needs.

Sometimes the right move isn't about who is to blame. It's about recognising when a partnership has simply run its course.

For Jones and Liverpool, it feels like that moment has finally arrived.

But then the question becomes is how on earth do you replace him? Well this summer might have helped Richard Hughes find the perfect replacement.

And not by looking at the market but by watching Liverpool's pre-season games.

Because therein has emerged the perfect replacement for Jones from an internal source in Trey Nyoni.

For a long while now, Nyoni has been on the cusp of a breakthrough. He's recently turned 19-years-old and that breakthrough is now very much about to happen.

Pre-season made it clear.

The 19-year-old created the most chances (3) and won the most tackles (3) out of anyone on the pitch during a brilliant 45-minute display that saw Liverpool score three goals against Sunderland.

Then he completed the most passes (59) and the most passes into the final third (8) against Wrexham in the first-half.

And he did the same against Leeds United in the first-half, he completed the most passes (40) and he also made the most passes into the final third (8).

Nyoni's ability to move the ball quickly and consistently play progressive, line-breaking passes makes him an ideal fit for Andoni Iraola's style of football.

His ability on and off the ball makes him a really well-rounded midfielder and an incredible talent.

Liverpool have always been about giving young players a chance. That's why Hughes doesn't need to search elsewhere for a Jones replacement, he's already found him.