Gini happy to be Academy prospects' Melwood mentor
Georginio Wijnaldum has been impressed by the ability and attitude of those Academy prospects who have been given the chance to train at Melwood this season.
A number of Liverpool’s youngsters have experienced life in and around Jürgen Klopp’s squad during 2016-17, while Ben Woodburn, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ovie Ejaria and Harry Wilson have all made their senior debuts since the start of the campaign.
Wijnaldum believes Klopp’s policy of welcoming youth players into a first-team environment can only benefit both the individuals in question and the club as a whole.
And the Netherlands international is keen to mentor his younger club-mates by passing on wisdom he’s learned throughout a professional career that began with Feyenoord at the tender age of 16.
“When I see a young player come in to Melwood and speak to them about how old they are, how the early stages of their career is going so far and what they would like to achieve, I always think back to my own experience,” Wijnaldum, now 26, told Goal.
“It reminds you of what point you were in your development then, what were the challenges and the lessons, so it helps when you give advice.
“What I like about them is that when you speak to them, they really listen. They are hungry for advice and it reminds me that now that I’m one of the older players having to speak to them and teach them.
“I still enjoy football like I’m a kid, though. I enjoy all the challenges and that we can all express ourselves individually, but in a way that makes the team better.
“That will never change for me and I hope the young players never lose that feeling too.”
Pepijn Lijnders acts as Klopp’s bridgehead between Kirkby and Melwood, with Liverpool’s first-team development coach running weekly training sessions with Academy players at the West Derby base.
Wijnaldum revealed that he has discussed the club’s development strategy with fellow Dutchman Lijnders and the boss, and likes what he heard.
“When I met Pep with Jürgen and spoke to him, he explained to me the club’s vision for the youth and giving them the chance to train and learn from the first team,” the No.5 added.
“I was really happy about this, because it is important for clubs to grow their own players.
“The players who train with us now are really talented and it’s fantastic that they have the opportunity to improve themselves and see what it takes to be a player of the first team.”