Former Liverpool star Curtis Jones has faced a tough week at Inter Milan, and found himself dropped to the bench for Monday night's game against Udinese - though he appeared just after the hour mark
Ange-Yoan Bonny of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring his team's fifth goal with his teammate Curtis Jones during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Udinese Calcio
Curtis Jones featured in a chaotic game for Inter Milan(Image: (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images))
Curtis Jones is continuing to settle into his time with Inter Milan, following his exit from Liverpool this summer, as he looks to seal a place of his own in the team.
The 25-year-old has had a mixed start so far, as he looks to build up fitness as well as getting used to his new surroundings both on and off the pitch. While he has been trusted with a few starts by Inter boss Chivu, the former Liverpool ace was at fault for one of the goals in the Italian side's defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League last week.
A harsh decision followed as Jones was subsequently dropped for the Nerazzurri in their match with Udinese on Monday, as a return to Serie A action was made.
While the midfielder watched on from the bench, a chaotic match played out. Udinese took a two-goal lead within the first 16 minutes at the San Siro, shocking the side after its Champions League struggles in midweek.
Inter Milan roared back, however, drawing level at half-time with goals from Carlos Augusto and Nicolo Barella. Marcus Thuram completed the comeback just before the hour mark, which is when Jones was introduced into the match.
The 25-year-old combined well to help setup the fourth goal, scored by Pio Esposito, before Ange-Yoan Bonny sealed the win with a fifth goal. Udinese scored a third in stoppage time, but it wasn't enough, as Inter ran out as 5-3 winners in a dramatic match in Milan.
Curtis Jones
Jones made a positive impact off the bench(Image: Getty Images)
While it was just a 30-minute cameo from Jones, Gazzetta dello Sport praised his quick impact, stating: "And they [Inter Milan] responded in the 67th minute with a goal from Pio [Esposito] - who hadn't been particularly brilliant up to that point, and was still stuck in the grip of a three-man defense - which came after an interesting exchange between Jones and Zielinski.
"The Englishman had come on five minutes earlier and was immediately involved, while the Pole - playing as a midfielder for the injured Calhanoglu - hadn't had the best game of his career until this assist."
Sky Italia gave Jones a six out of ten for his display from the bench. Calciomercato gave the former Liverpool man a 6.5, and said: "Comes on and brings freshness to the attack. He comes on for the game-winning goal, where he displays Olympic composure."
It remains to be seen whether Jones will be handed an opportunity from the start of the game again soon after that impact, with a huge clash against AS Roma on Saturday before the international break rolls around.
If he isn't involved, then it may be a slower start to life in Serie A than expected for Jones, though it is still early days while he continues to build himself up to the right level of fitness and tactical requirements of the head coach, Chivu.
It's unclear whether the transfer switch to the San Siro will work out for Jones or not, but he seems to be making an impact so far, as he looks to make himself a regular starter.