John Aldridge has urged Liverpool not to re-sign Philippe Coutinho to allow Curtis Jones find his way into the club's senior ranks
Liverpool are among a host of Premier League clubs wanting to sign Coutinho , who is expected to be offloaded by Barcelona this coming summer.
A £65million fee could see the Reds pulling the strings in the summer - which would be below half the £142million price Barcelona paid for the Brazilian in 2018.
But former Liverpool striker Aldridge thinks that re-signing Coutinho would pose a problem to Jurgen Klopp, because it would hamper the progression of U23 skipper Curtis Jones.
Jones has made seven first-team appearances this term and even captained the club, becoming the youngest skipper in the Reds’ history, in an FA Cup fourth-round replay win over Shrewsbury Town at Anfield this month.
Aldridge wrote in his Liverpool Echo column: "Perhaps the biggest reason though why I'm not bothered about Liverpool trying to bring players like Coutinho back is the brilliant crop of young players, we've got coming through at the moment which was illustrated again by the brilliant win in the FA Cup replay over Shrewsbury last week.
"It was fantastic to see a young Scouser like Curtis Jones become the youngest captain in Liverpool's history and he really rose to the occasion, giving a very mature performance.
"He's already had a taste of Premier League action and has shown the right mentality along with his immense ability so deserves his chance when the time is right and I think he will be a real option in those attacking midfield areas.
"What kind of message would it send to him if we brought Coutinho back now in front of him just as he's starting to see a real pathway into the team?
"As far as I'm concerned, we should go with the youth and Curtis the chance to break through along with the likes of Neco Williams, Adam Lewis, Jake Cain and all those who performed so well against a full-strength League One side."