Michael Owen glazes Liverpool for bold Curtis Jones exit as Iraola’s verdict on January signing emerges

Michael Owen has exclusively told TEAMtalk that Liverpool deserve enormous praise for resisting the temptation to sign a replacement for Curtis Jones this summer, with Andoni Iraola right to give their own young players a chance at Anfield.

Jones departed Anfield for Inter Milan in the summer, prompting questions over whether Liverpool should bring in another midfielder to provide cover and maintain squad depth.

However, Iraola opted against recruiting a direct replacement, instead promoting Trey Nyoni into the first-team picture while James McConnell has also been retained as another option.

Nyoni’s progress has now been rewarded with a call-up to the England Under-21 squad, further underlining the rapid development of the highly-rated midfielder.

Owen believes that decision could benefit Liverpool in the long run, arguing that clubs should not block the pathway of promising academy players simply by signing squad players.

The former Liverpool striker feels there is enough young talent coming through at Anfield to justify giving them an opportunity rather than spending money for the sake of adding numbers.

Speaking exclusively to TEAMtalk via Football Betting, Owen explained: “I think there are a couple of good youngsters and it is not the worst thing to trim your squad players and bring them through and try, you don’t want to block a pathway.

“I wouldn’t have thought they needed to buy squad players. If they can sign someone to come straight in, then fantastic, but I think the young kids coming through are good enough.

“The hard thing for any club is you try to strengthen and you need a really good player to become available to do that.

“I would be more concerned: how much do you want to spend? Just be concerned to get them purring again and let’s get them playing well again.”

Nyoni has emerged as one of the most highly regarded young midfielders in Liverpool’s system and is now being given the opportunity to establish himself around the senior squad.

His England call-up represents another significant step in that progression and provides further evidence of the impression he has made since being given greater exposure to first-team football.

McConnell provides further depth, meaning Liverpool have opted to use internal options rather than bringing in a player whose main role would be to provide cover.

Liverpool continue to be linked with a new midfielder ahead of the January window, with the likes of Alex Scott and Lamine Camara among the players they are monitoring.

Yet despite that, Owen reckons the club could instead opt to focus on their young stars and see what they can do over this season at least to ensure the club doesn’t create any unnecessary obstacles for their academy graduates…

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Liverpool youngsters deserve their chance – Owen

Liverpool have a long tradition of promoting players from within, and Owen believes the current crop deserve the opportunity to show whether they can make the step up.

The former England international also stressed that strengthening a squad should not simply mean signing another body.

Instead, he believes Liverpool should only make a move if the right player becomes available who can genuinely improve the first team.

That approach could allow Liverpool to assess Nyoni and McConnell properly while avoiding a situation where a new arrival limits their opportunities.

Owen’s comments come as Liverpool continue to adjust following Jones’ departure to Inter, but he believes the club have made the right call by trusting the talent already available to them.

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Nyoni’s emergence, and his subsequent England recognition, has strengthened the case for that approach, with the midfielder now getting the chance to show he can establish himself at the highest level.

For Liverpool, the challenge will now be ensuring those youngsters are given sufficient opportunities while maintaining the quality required to compete at the highest level.

And Owen believes that, rather than automatically replacing every departure, allowing their best prospects to step forward could ultimately prove more valuable than signing another squad player.