Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard joked that England's coaching staff should be punished for failing to recognise Curtis Jones' ability sooner after the midfielder impressed on his international debut.
The 23-year-old made his first start for the Three Lions against Greece on Thursday and scored in a convincing 3-0 victory as Lee Carsley's men took the plaudits in Athens.
Jones played the full 90 minutes in his first cap and earned his reward for a solid overall performance when he found the net on 83 minutes with a special goal. The midfielder was waiting inside the penalty area after a neat exchange between Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Gibbs-White, and as Jones received the ball, he produced a sublime backheel that beat goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
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In addition to his goal, Jones provided a complete all-round performance in the engine room. He completed 96 per cent of his 68 passes throughout the game, as well as winning seven duels, executing four tackles and retrieving possession on seven occasions.
His display clearly pleased Reds hero Gerrard as he watched from afar, so much so that the former England international took to social media to laud the midfielder's ability.
Gerrard made a tongue-in-cheek remark claiming figures in the national camp and at the Football Association should be fined for ignoring Jones until now.
"What a player [heart emoji]," Gerrard wrote. "Fine the FA and all the coaches for being late [heart emoji]."
Gerrard, currently in charge of Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq, wasn't the only man left in awe by Jones' dominant midfield display.
Interim boss Carsley, who will step aside to make way for new boss Thomas Tuchel in January, heaped praise on the Liverpool star and labelled him 'outstanding' after starring in the Greek capital.
"It's not surprising, Curtis is an outstanding player and I thought he played really well today even without his goal," the England boss said. "With his goal, it was an excellent performance so I'm really delighted for him."
Jones has been one of the standout English players in the Premier League this season after emerging as a surprise mainstay in Arne Slot's starting XI.
Liverpool are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and Jones, playing as a No 10 in Slot's revamped formation at Anfield, is thriving under the Dutchman.
He scored his first goal of the season in the 2-1 win over Chelsea and underlined his growing influence with an assist against Brighton.
Despite being handed a tough test against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League only a few days later, Jones made it look easy as he played a fine through ball to set up Luis Diaz's first goal of the night before the Colombian went on to score hat-trick.
