Whether or not Curtis Jones becomes Liverpool's youngest ever first-team captain in a competitive outing rests, apparently, on the luck of a coin toss.
The young midfielder, who turned 19 at the back end of January, has impressed in his first outings for the Reds senior team this season, scoring twice in as many games in the FA Cup with strikes against Everton and Shrewsbury.
With Liverpool's first-team regulars all being controversially rested by Jurgen Klopp for the fourth-round replay against Shrewsbury on Thursday night, Jones - as Under-23s captain - will be one of the most experienced players on the pitch for the hosts.
Neil Critchley - who will take charge of the team in Klopp's absence - has admitted he is yet to decide on who will captain his young team.
When Liverpool put out a second-string team for the Carabao Cup encounter with Aston Villa in December due to commitments in the Club World Cup, Critchley made Pedro Chirivella the captain for the day. However, Jones was in Qatar with the senior squad on that occasion.
Speaking ahead of Thursday's clash in his pre-match press conference, Under-23s coach Critchley admitted it is a literal toss-up between Jones and Chirivella for the armband.
“Curtis has been our captain for the U23s this season but he wasn’t captain in the Aston Villa game because he was away at the Club World Cup,” said Critchley.
Should Jones get the armband, he will (at 19 years and five days) surpass the record of
In modern times, both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher captained the club at 22, while Jon Flanagan took the armband for a Premier League game against Southampton in 2016 aged 23.
Critchley also hailed the confidence of Liverpool-born Jones, who rose to national attention with his match-winning strike against Everton in the third round.
“He is a young player who wants to prove himself,” Critchley added. “I don’t see a problem with that. He has belief in himself and he’ll learn through experience of when to show that on the pitch and when not to show it.
“He couldn’t be learning off better people here, the senior players around him and the staff.
“He is who he is. We are here to support him and guide him. You have to let Curtis have a certain amount of freedom in the way he plays because that’s when he’s at his best.
"But he has to do some of the other things in his game otherwise he won’t be part of the team.”
The Reds team on Thursday will be made up exclusively of young stars, with the highly rated trio of Neco Williams, Ki-Jana Hoever and Harvey Elliott all expected to start, as they seek a place in the FA Cup fifth round and a date with Chelsea.
Source : 90min