FeatureFive things we learned from Alex Inglethorpe on the 'We are Liverpool' podcast

The Academy manager sat down with Robbie Fowler and Peter McDowall in the AXA Training Centre's studio for a wide-ranging chat about youth development. Here's what we learned…

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Why which car you drive matters at the Academy

"You don't want them driving in with something that is too big, too grand, too much of a statement because it's not just the manager and staff that might have an opinion on you, but it's also the senior players."

Inglethorpe explains 'a car clause' that Academy players old enough to drive sign up for to ensure safety, first and foremost, and then humility.

He states: "The players know full well that if I don't approve of their car, they can go and park it in a [nearby gym] but it won't be in the Academy.

"It's not because I want to be an idiot about it, I just don't want them to have worked 10 years for an audition and fail before they've even set foot on the pitches."

How the past helps guide the future

One of Inglethorpe's ideas in his time as figurehead of the Academy has been to reconnect with some greats who have passed through it.

It has seen Fowler, Steve McManaman and Rob Jones, for example, work closely with various age groups, dishing out invaluable guidance based on their achievements in the game.

"You can tell from my accent, I'm not a Scouser," Inglethorpe reasons. "I'm only the custodian at the minute. The club belongs to the likes of Robbie, Steve Heighway, Steven Gerrard, Steve McManaman, Rob Jones and Michael Thomas.

"I've always wanted their guidance in so much as, 'Are we still in line with the ethos of the club? Is the Academy still rooted in the ethics and the way they would see the club?' Because they're the people best-positioned to help me.

"They all say they're not coaches – but they are coaches, they just don't know it. Robbie's worked with me before with forwards and the detail that he'll give them... Alright, I'll put the cones out and make sure the goal is in the right position but then when it comes to the detail of finishing, he's a better coach than me.

"They'll all give a kid something to take home with them, some piece of information, something that they've seen in their game."

'Klopp's braver than me when it comes to youth'

Believe it or not, there may be a person working at Liverpool more trusting and interested in youth development than Inglethorpe.

That happens to be Jürgen Klopp, who has been unafraid to consistently offer opportunities to youngsters in his eight seasons as first-team boss.

Inglethorpe says: "The two managers I've worked with at Liverpool, both have been unbelievably trusting.

"The manager at the minute, he's braver than me when it comes to youth. He plays kids when I'm thinking, 'I'm not sure if they're quite ready yet.' And he's made me question myself around whether I'm brave enough, because he'll put a lad on in a cup final, like with Caoimhin [Kelleher], and I'm thinking, 'What an incredible decision that is. Would I have done that?'

"He's just off the scale in terms of faith in youth."

Just how valuable loans can be

For all the Academy does to prepare players for rigours of senior football, sometimes prospects opt to go elsewhere to get a true taste.

A recent conversation with a player out on loan once again reinforced to Inglethorpe the vast benefits of temporary spells away.

Inglethorpe shares: "He said, 'I've learned more in five games than I have in the last three years. I've learned more about the pressure of playing in front of a crowd, the pressure of playing alongside people who have to pay their mortgages, playing for contracts. I'm out of my comfort zone because I'm up against someone that has got 500 games on me.'

"He's a centre-half, so he's like, 'I'm going up and [opponents] are nudging me – things I would never have experienced here.'

"I think it's really important that they go out – not just because of the football aspect but he's also having to live on his own now. It's an important step in life."

The Academy isn't just a hotbed for players

While players can go on from the Academy to flourish in the first team or elsewhere, the same can be said for the staff.

A number of successful coaches in recent years have used Kirkby as a launchpad for bigger things in their careers.

"It's equal [satisfaction] to the players," Inglethorpe insists. "So Neil Critchley gets Blackpool promoted or Steven [Gerrard] wins the title with Rangers. Tim Jenkins has just gone to Bournemouth [with] Gary O'Neil. It's lovely because every single week, if they're not playing us, you're suddenly becoming an Aston Villa, Rangers, Blackpool, Bournemouth fan.

"It's not just those people – it's also an awful lot of our staff, whether it's sports science, medical, other coaches, analysts. Also, I think it wouldn't be fair to mention them without also saying Pep.

"Pep Lijnders came into the Academy as an U16 coach, was incredible for us in terms of energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and brought something completely different.

"We've got so many staff now that are in and around the first team that I feel very, very proud to have been a part of or a tiny part of their journey. That's as important to me as the players."