Liverpool players do not yet know which stars will leave Merseyside this summer, as Jurgen Klopp plans to rebuild his squad.
The Reds are enduring a tough season. The Community Shield winners failed to go the distance in the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup or the Champions League, while they sit 10 points behind Manchester United in fourth with just 10 Premier League games remaining.
At this point in the season, players often have an inkling which stars will be moving on. Yet Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, who could face the axe, has "not heard anything" on that front. Klopp's side remain focused on trying to salvage their season.
Jones, 22, told the Liverpool ECHO, "I couldn't care, no. You know I am a confident lad and I have the backing of the staff. "If they turn around and say they think I need to leave or go out on loan then you know there are options there that I already know of anyway.
"So it's not something that we have spoken about at the club and it is not like they have said: 'Look, we're going to buy him, you might have to leave, you might have to do this or do that'. You might hear small things in the press, but they just make up things to keep themselves around! But I've not heard anything, so I am here to play.
"Of course I [back myself]. Of course. It doesn't matter if I leave. I think I can show I am good enough to come back but we'll see. I am not worried."
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James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could all leave Liverpool when their existing deals expire in June, while other players - including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho and Jordan Henderson - have face criticism this season.
Midfield is arguably Liverpool's weakest department. Klopp is thought to be interested in signing Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher and Moises Caicedo to improve that area of the pitch. If any of those arrive, Jones could be pushed further down the pecking order.
Jones joined Liverpool's academy in 2010 and graduated to the first team during the 2018/19 campaign. The Liverpool-born star picked up a Premier League winners' medal the following season and helped the Reds win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last term.
Despite winning silverware, injuries have hampered Jones' progress. He has played just 13 games in all competitions this season and will need to make an impression sooner rather than later if he's to have a long and successful career on Merseyside.
Jones has been struggling with a bone issue throughout this season. He added, "I have been on a schedule where a specialist is now on board and I am only allowed to train for four days on the pitch and then I have to have a day off.
"So if the day off comes at the same time as the game then I can't do much. If the injury is always going to be an ongoing thing but the staff have handled it well... It's something where they have said it is something they have never seen before."
