What Gareth Southgate privately told Curtis Jones as Liverpool ace handed quiet boost

When the initial provisional squad was announced for England traveling to the European Championship this summer, it was always likely that Liverpool duo Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones would miss out on the final cut.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was always going and Joe Gomez might even find himself in the team with Harry Maguire missing and a real dearth of center-back options that Gareth Southgate has to choose from. But for the Reds players who are not going to the tournament, there are positives to be taken.

Firstly, Quansah and Jones will be part of pre-season at Liverpool and will also have a proper rest this summer — as much as it is possible to do so with such a small turnaround. In Arne Slot's first few weeks in charge, he will be able to run the rule over the pair while many other senior players are absent.

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Quansah is expected to feature for England later today in a friendly against Iceland in what will be his senior international debut. If there are injuries, with so few options in the center of defense, he could even find himself going to the tournament still, though Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite has also missed out on the final cut.

Jones, meanwhile, was able to impress during the time he spent with the national team but the Liverpool number 17 was always unlikely to make the trimmed-down version of the squad. In reality, there were just too many options ahead of him in the pecking order who have already made an impact for Southgate.

Had Jones gone to the tournament, it is unlikely that he would have played much. And so while it might not feel like it at the moment amid the disappointment of missing out, not going could be best for him long term as he bids to nail down a place under his new club boss. For his chances of starting the new season in the Liverpool starting XI, this was perhaps a blessing in disguise.

According to The Athletic, Southgate met with Jones in a one-on-one meeting to say that he had been impressed by what he brought to the training sessions and that he should be able to establish himself at that level over the next few months. Whether Southgate is England's manager by then or not, Jones should be a staple of the national team squads in the coming seasons.

Liverpool.com says: Jones would have been in our England team for the balance that he offers in the middle of the pitch but it works out nicely for the Reds that he isn't going. The same can be said of Quansah. As for Alexander-Arnold and Gomez, hopefully they play for Southgate — otherwise it will mean them missing a chunk of pre-season for no reason.