Engine size limits and working with Iraola – the Liverpool academy approach

Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe talks to BBC Sport about the value and future of Liverpool's academy. 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 Liverpool.

"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," says Inglethorpe. "At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream." Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team. One of the phrases used is 'the first team pitch is only 300 metres away from the academy building