Arne Slot has FINALLY found Liverpool’s NEW Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerard will have seen Liverpool’s victory over his former teammate somewhere in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday evening.

We know that because the legendary captain of the club has admitted he often schedules his Al Ettifaq training sessions around Liverpool matches so he can follow Arne Slot’s red numbers.

This match against Bayer Leverkusen will have been of particular importance for Gerrard anyway, as his old midfielder, Xabi Alonso, returned to his old hunting grounds at Anfield.

And on the night when the game was supposed to be all about Alonso, it’s ironic that Slot may have finally discovered Liverpool’s heir to Gerrard’s throne instead.

Why Curtis Jones proved against Bayer Leverkusen that he can be Liverpool’s new Gerrard

Jones has always been compared to Gerrard since he emerged as a goalscoring midfielder in the academy.

At U18 level he even spent a season working under the former Liverpool captain, with Gerrard taking on his first role as head coach at the club’s academy.

During that time, Gerrard improved Jones’ game and helped him reach a new level.

But while Jones has always been talented, his rise to the first team and now his rise to first-team stardom has been far from easy.

He’s had to fight his way in and it’s only now that he’s 23 years old that we’re starting to see his best years in a Liverpool shirt.

At that time, Gerrard was already emerging as one of England’s best midfielders. Jones is on his way to doing the same.

But for now, the focus is on Liverpool and his recent performances in the team.

What typified Gerrard during his time as the club’s iconic figure was his ability to make a difference in games. Whether it was through a goal or an assist, he could lead by example.

Jones is slowly becoming that figure for Liverpool.

Take the past few weeks as an example.

He scored a winning goal against Chelsea in the Premier League.

He then provided the winning assist for Liverpool against Brighton last weekend and helped the Reds climb to the top of the Premier League.

And now in the match against Bayer Leverkusen it was Jones who finally helped to unlock Alonso’s side with a sublime pass to Luis Diaz, who guided him one-on-one through the goalkeeper.

All these moments make Jones an indispensable part of Slot’s team. If anything has happened in the last few weeks he was Liverpool’s star in the team.

Once again there is a midfielder who pulls the strings and makes the difference. So many ‘new’ Gerrards have come and gone at Liverpool.

But Jones has shown in recent weeks that he is the real deal.

He could finally become the successor to Gerrard that Kopites has been praying for since Gerrard left Anfield for pastures new almost a decade ago.