06 March 2024 , 06:00
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Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman has shed light on a behind-the-scenes change at the club which has helped to their academy prosper.
Teenager trio Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and Bobby Clark are among the academy stars who've been thrust into first-team action by manager Jurgen Klopp as a result of Liverpool's recent injury crisis. 'Klopp's kids' have played a major role in the Reds winning the Carabao Cup at Wembley, reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals and remaining top of the Premier League table, and soon it'll be time for them to shine in the Europa League round of 16 away to Sparta Prague on Thursday.
McManaman, himself a product of the Anfield talent factory, has pointed out how the club's decision to build a new training ground in Kirby - named the AXA Training Complex - is now paying dividends, as for the first time in Liverpool's history their first-team and academy share the same base. Earlier in Klopp's reign, the Reds' senior squad were stationed at their famous Melwood training base while their youngsters trained elsewhere, a situation that owners Fenway Sports Group weren't wholly satisfied with.
Now working within the club's academy setup, McManaman - who was speaking ahead of Sparta Prague versus Liverpool, live exclusively on TNT Sports - told Mirror Football: "I think Liverpool moving into the AXA has helped because, of course, the kids now are on the pitch right there, not 10 minutes down the road.
"It helps that the under-18s train on that pitch, and then they move to the under-21s' pitch and move to this building where the first-team are. This is the hallowed place where everyone wants to get to. And the fact that if Jurgen and his staff have injury problems one morning, they can literally call a player up from the under-21s, so I think that has certainly helped."
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Opened in November 2020, the AXA Training Complex reflects one of FSG's top priorities after purchasing the club 14 years ago: to smoothen the transition from youth to senior football while improving integration between coaches. As the years have gone by during Klopp's nine-season tenure, which will come to an end this summer, more and more young players have been given an opportunity in the first-team, with the German keen to leave a lasting legacy on Merseyside.
"He's always had an insight into the academy, and Pep (Lijnders) and Vitor (Matos), earlier in their careers, worked at the academy, so that has always been part of the DNA at Liverpool whoever's the manager," McManaman said of Klopp.
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Lewis Koumas (left) and Bobby Clark (right) are among Liverpool's new batch of talent (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)"The academy have always done a brilliant job. You go down the line from Trent (Alexander-Arnold) to Curtis (Jones), three, four or five years ago, they've always tried to bring players through. It's just that, of course, the injury problems they've had of late, it's been put into focus for the general population that these kids are good enough and are playing really well.
"But also, you have to talk about the ones who are on loan like Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho, they're on loan at the minute and doing really well but unfortunately for them, they've just missed out on this opportunity because if they were here they'd be playing.
"But the main thing is the future's bright. These players, because they've played in the first-team, they've got a financial value and things like that, so it really helps with everything going on with FFP (Financial Fair Play) and PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). So the fact these academy players have values is very important for balancing the books and things like that."
Steve McManaman works in Liverpool's academy (TNT Sports)
Jayden Danns has already scored two senior goals (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)Through his role as an advisor in the Reds' academy, the ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City midfielder has seen the likes of Danns' development first-hand. "I know them all, I've seen them all and know their movements, but they're all at different stages of their development," McManaman continued.
"Bobby Clark has been with the first team for a long time, James McConnell only jumped up to the under-21s this year and has only been in the first team on a handful of occasions. Jayden Danns went from the under-18s to the first team in two weeks - I was training with him two weeks ago.
"They're all at different levels and different stages of their development, but I think when they've been called upon they've all been fantastic to be very honest. The fact they were called upon at really important stages in the cup final or in the FA Cup game when they started against good opposition ( Southampton ).
"I think they've acquitted themselves really, really well and they should be very proud of themselves. They're not gonna play 20 games between now and the end of the season - and nor should they - but when they're given the opportunity and given the chance, as long as they grasp it and play well, work hard, then I think that's all you can hope for.
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"They're gonna be inconsistent, if we're gonna need them every single game, every single week, they are gonna be inconsistent and gonna have bad games, difficult games. But I think the fact Jurgen can dip them in, dip them out as the team starts to get fitter, I think that will suit them down to the ground really."
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