Jurgen Klopp believes Curtis Jones's recent improvement is down to studying the game from the sidelines while injured as the Liverpool boss hailed the midfielder's development in recent weeks.
Jones suffered an unusual tibial stress reaction in the Community Shield win over Manchester City in July and started just two games across all competitions as a result until early April.
Since the goalless draw with Chelsea on April 5, however, Jones has started the last nine - the best run of his senior career to date - and the No.17 scored twice on Monday as Liverpool beat Leicester 3-0 at the King Power Stadium.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold added the third with a stunning strike in the second period as Klopp's men closed the gap on fourth-place Manchester United to just a point in the Premier League.
Jones has shone in recent weeks off the left of the midfield three and Klopp feels that the England Under-21 international has been using his time out injured wisely as the manager talked up the improvements made to his game.
"He has improved a lot and there are a lot of things that have come together and we should not forget he is still a young boy," Klopp said. "He has played some super games for us as well and then he had a difficult spell with injuries, that is true.
"He's had some injuries like the finger in the eye, which took him out for a while but this year especially bad. He could watch a lot of football and understand the game better and it really looks like that. I think where he improved the most was his counter-pressing and his speed of play.
"So he doesn't keep the ball for as long anymore. He still does that and he has to do it in moments but he is much quicker in the decision-making moments and stuff like this. He also is a good finisher, both goals were exceptional. I am not even sure they are chances.
"The first goal was similar to the one he finished against Tottenham and the second goal was a super finish. He is in a good moment which is really cool."
On the game itself, Klopp added: "It was good, really good. Between the 55th and 75th minute maybe, I would have liked to have controlled the game a bit better. The first 15 minutes of the game I accept it was a bit of a wilder game for us and we had to fight and figure out how to become more flexible.
"We did that and then had five players facing their goal who could also pass the ball in behind, like for the first goal. It was a really good example of things you have to do, whether that is behind the line or not, like the first and the second goals. The third goal is obviously a wonderful set-piece.
"We could have scored another immediately after the second goal and we had other moments when it was really good. So the game never became what it could have been; a real fight with challenges everywhere and stuff like this, but that is because we controlled it in a really confident way."
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