Liverpool have made moves to tie Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe to the club for the foreseeable future, by awarding him a new contract.
The Englishman currently manages the Under-23 side, alongside overseeing the progression of all Liverpool’s younger prospects from the Kirkby base.
This season, Ovie Ejaria and Trent Alexander-Arnold have made first-team debuts, while Sheyi Ojo broke through last term – partly thanks to their development under Inglethorpe.
“The quality of a football club’s youth system is driven by many factors, but not least by the quality of people involved in it,” Inglethorpe told the official website.
“At Liverpool, we are blessed to have superb support throughout: from the commitment of the owners and the first-team management, through to my staff and the young players themselves.
“We have a clear philosophy and direction and that benefits each and every young person who comes into our system at Liverpool.
“This part of the industry is ultra-competitive at the moment and it’s important we offer something that sets us apart from our rivals. I think we do that by providing an elite environment and culture, while recognising investment into these young players goes beyond what happens on the training pitch.I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved so far and excited at the further progress we can make, thanks in no small part to the backing of our ownership group, Jürgen, the first-team staff and our football operations structure.”
Inglethorpe arrived from Tottenham in 2012, where he’d worked as a youth coach for six years. As a player, the striker toiled the lower leagues, shining most at Leyton Orient, where he scored 32 league goals in 123 matches between 1995 and 2000 – but as a coach – he’s elite.
We’re glad he’ll continue his excellent work with us and hope to see plenty more youngsters graduate to the first-team. We’re perhaps most excited about Ben Woodburn, the 17-year-old who recently signed a three-year contract extension.
In terms of sheer, unadulterated talent, his knows no ceiling.