No Scouser in the team but 'plenty' in the Liverpool academy
- Published
One of the first things you notice in Alex Inglethorpe's office at Liverpool's AXA Training Centre is a framed image gifted by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It is a picture from 2019 of the academy director and player watching a game together. Alexander-Arnold left for a new challenge at Real Madrid last year, after 20 years on Merseyside, but his story is one of inspiration for everyone that enters Liverpool's academy.
He joined as a six-year-old in 2004 and went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup with the Reds.
"The ideal for any academy, and certainly for us, is wanting young players - and hopefully they're local players - to improve the first team and in doing so, they come and win trophies," said Inglethorpe.
"At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream."
But when Curtis Jones moved to Inter Milan in the summer, it left Liverpool without a first-team player born in the city.
"I acknowledge the fact that, ideally, Liverpool would love to have a team full of Scousers," added Inglethorpe.
"But it is testament to the supporters that if you adopt the characteristics of a Scouser - and you only have to see the likes of Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish and others over the years - you can be treated as one of their own.
"If you are fearless, passionate, play tough and demonstrate those qualities, then it doesn't matter if you've come from an L1 postcode and got a purple bin or not. That's the beauty of the club and the crowd."
One name to keep an eye on is 15-year-old Luca Eden. The midfielder was born in the Wirral and has already represented England at youth level.
Last month, he became the youngest player to feature in the Uefa Youth League for Liverpool, beating a record previously held by Joshua Abe, Rio Ngumoha and Alexander-Arnold.
"We've got plenty of Scousers in the academy and plenty who I think will play for the club. But, if not, and a lad comes from Warrington or wherever, that's not a problem," insisted Inglethorpe.
