Why Curtis Jones is not traveling to Finland with England squad despite call up two days ago
Curtis Jones has not traveled with the England national team squad to Finland due to personal reasons - with the roster being cut down from 24 to 22 along with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka missing out.
While the Liverpool midfielder was an unused substitute in England's loss to Greece on Thursday, he has not traveled to Helsinki along with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It is believed that Jones' girlfriend Saffie Khan is expecting their first child - after she announced her pregnancy on Instagram this past May. The couple have been together for years, sharing a video on social media along with a series of photos of a scan five months ago. Khan recently posted on Instagram an image with the caption: "Ready for my autumn baby".
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Jones had been a late addition to interim head coach Lee Carsley's squad this past week, joining alongside Alexander-Arnold's inclusion in the initial 25-man squad.
It had been just the second time that Jones has been called up to England's men's squad, having been one of 33 players selected by Gareth Southgate for England's Euro 2024 preliminary squad in May. He is still yet to make his first-team appearance for the Three Lions.
Jones was left out of Carsley's first squad in September for their National League wins over Ireland and Finland, having missed the start of the season under Arne Slot through injury. But the 23-year-old has impressed since returning to full health, getting the start over Dominik Szoboszlai in their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Reds' last game.
While it feels only a matter of time before Jones earns his first cap with England, his footballing priorities will be securing a regular spot in Liverpool's starting eleven - seemingly competing with Szoboszlai for the advanced midfield role in Slot's team.
Ryan Gravenberch looks to have cemented his spot as the starting No. 6, being far and away the Reds' most impressive performer through the first 10 games of the year, with Alexis Mac Allister being the regular first-choice just ahead of him in central midfield.
While Szoboszlai has been the regular pick for Slot so far, many Reds' fans have been frustrated by his performances at times, with Jones battling for minutes alongside him. Harvey Elliott will also be an option for that role, but he remains sidelined for the next few weeks after sustaining a foot injury.