‘Standards are high’ - Liverpool assistant explains the secret behind youth success in the first-team

Liverpool’s assistant manager Pep Lijnders opened up on the quality of the youth players coming from the academy as well as how they’ve managed to create a culture for them to follow.

Lijnders stepped in to speak to the media instead of Jurgen Klopp ahead of their trip to face Bournemouth in the EFL Cup.

Last round saw them overcome Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield, with Klopp including academy graduates such as Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Ben Doak and Jarell Quansah in the starting eleven, with Stefan Bajcetic and Luke Chambers also coming off the bench. James McConnell and Calum Scanlon have also made first-team debuts this season.

There’s a strong youth contingent building at the club that is not only showing talent and quality, but also forcing their way into first-team minutes - and Lijnders has revealed the secret to their increase in youth prospects breaking through.

“When Curtis Jones came to the first team, Milner, Lallana, Gini were on him all the time, when he did something wrong or right. Now Luke [Chambers], Calum [Scanlon] are here, and Curtis speaks to them in the same way. That’s how you create a culture.”

“It’s one thing making your debut, another thing winning prizes. We have a few players in our squad who have won everything with us. Young players are being educated about this. Standards are high.

“We want young players to win prizes, not young players to make debuts, that’s what they have to feel from a young age, finals, competing, mentality, luckily we have a few players in our squad who have won everything with us.”

There’s also a few more young prospects that are making waves at academy levels including Trent Kone-Doherty (17) who has lit-up the U18 Premier League this season, notching five goals and two assists in just five appearances.

Plus, Matuesz Musialowski, 20, who has seven goal contributions in seven games across the EFL Trophy and Premier League 2 division. Then there’s another forward in Jayden Danns who is in great form for the U18’s; he’s netted nine goals in eight games.

This is clearly the richest group of young players that the club has had for some time, but the harsh reality is that it is incredibly difficult to break through at a top club due to the quality of the first-team squad.

They can’t all be incredible successes such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, which is incredibly rare, but there’s no doubting the presence and the quality of these youngsters.

However, Klopp has been very generous with giving young players a chance across his time at the club and that trend is likely to continue as Liverpool look to fight on all fronts this season.