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Liverpool and England legend Steven Gerrard once cheekily proposed that the FA and England's coaching hierarchy warranted sanctions.
If that's anything to go by, he won't be impressed with Thomas Tuchel's latest decision. The tongue-in-cheek remark came after Curtis Jones' outstanding debut performance for the Three Lions in November 2024, with Gerrard contending that English soccer's governing body had delayed far too extensively before granting the Liverpool talent his first international opportunity.
Gerrard's playful comment followed Jones' strike against Greece 12 months ago. The midfielder marked his inaugural England outing with a superb goal as he expertly redirected Morgan Gibbs-White's cross to secure a 3-0 victory.
"What a player," Gerrard posted on his Instagram story after the fixture. He then added: "Fine the FA and all the coaches for being late."
However, 12 months on, Gerrard will be frustrated. Tuchel has omitted Jones from his latest England squad for the World Cup qualifying encounters against Serbia and Albania.
Jones, 24, possesses six caps for the Three Lions and was even included by Tuchel for the German's debut squad as England boss. But he has now been absent from the last three selections.
The midfielder has appeared in every fixture he has been available for under Arne Slot's stewardship this season, despite wrestling with numerous injury concerns.
Amid Liverpool's recent struggles in the Premier League, including a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, Jones has been a standout performer for the reigning champion.
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However, his performances have yet to catch the eye of Tuchel. Competition is admittedly stiff, with Jude Bellingham returning to the squad.
Jones' relationship with fellow Liverpudlian Gerrard began when the latter was managing Liverpool's U18s. The former Reds No. 8 has been a significant influence on Jones, who has often spoken highly of his idol. He stated: "I say it now, still, I feel like Steven was the one who came in and made me really think, 'Look, if I lock all the way in, now I can go to the top.'
"I'll never forget the time, we'd been away on preseason – I don't know what country it was – we came back and he got the whole team in on a one-to-one and he'd been speaking about the things you did well and what you needed to improve."
He continued: "I remember when he came in – I don't want to say what he said – it was good, but it was not nice. It wasn't nice. It was like the harsh truths. I'll say a little bit, 'I gave you the 10 shirt on your back because I want you to be my main lad in my team, and I want to build the team around you, but you didn't show enough.'
"There was a game that he said, this is was what stuck in my head a lot – where I wanted to show him that anything you need from me I'll do it – we'd been beaten by Fulham and he said I'd been tackled and the lad had stood over and said something while I'd been on the floor.
"He turned around to me and said, 'What did you do about it?' I said, 'I can't remember,' and he said, 'Well, I'll tell you, you did nothing!'
"I sat there and thought, 'You're right.' This is my club, there are people like you who have played your whole life here and even came back to the academy and now you're a coach, you want to give your all to the club.
"There are people like me, I'm a Scouser myself, I don't understand the situation I'm in. I need to grow up here and need to be a man."
Jones has claimed two Premier League titles with Liverpool but has struggled to cement his place in the England squad in 2025.
Former England interim manager Lee Carsley, who handed Jones his international debut in 2024, heaped praise on the midfielder following his maiden appearance.
"Curtis Jones is an outstanding player," he told ITV. "He played really well, even without his goal. With his goal it was an excellent performance. People were speaking last night about the inexperience in the squad but these players are playing for their clubs at a really high level."
It remains to be seen if Jones can get back into the England picture under Tuchel. With time ticking ahead of next summer's World Cup, he will no doubt be eager to do so.
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