The prestigious Kirkby academy is famed for producing players such as Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. However, since then it’s gone through a period of drought where it has stuttered in its attempts of reproducing such great talents, although the fortunes have dramatically been changed since the arrival of former La Masia coaches Rodolfo Borrell and Pep Segura in 2009. A certain amount of credit has to also be handed to former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, who initially outlined his plans for the academy revamp. Current first-teamers Jonjo Shelvey, Spanish starlet Suso Fernandez and English winger Raheem Sterling were all signed under his regime, while the likes of Andre Wisdom, Jack Robinson and Martin Kelly have all featured for the first team this season.
Today, the academy is littered with international talent. Below are five players who I believe can make the jump up to the first team in the future.
Ryan McLaughlin
Ryan McLaughlin is the Under-21s regular right back. The Northern Irish born defender signed for the club in the summer of 2011 and has established himself as one of the top prospects in the Kirkby academy.
McLaughlin is well known for his aggressive tackling and voyaging runs down the flank, reminiscent of Barcelona full-back Dani Alves.
First team coach Brendan Rodgers rewarded Ryan’s impressive debut season, where he notched 26 appearances across the Under-18s and reserves, with a place on the plane to Liverpool’s pre-season tour of America.
In Boston, he made his senior bow against AS Roma and was given the small task of marking club legend Francesco Totti. He held his own in the position and was noticed for his sharp movement and passing ability.
The first team isn’t short of good quality right backs, with Glen Johnson, Andre Wisdom and Martin Kelly all on the books, so Ryan McLaughlin will have to continue improving if we are to eventually see him marauding down the right for Liverpool, but given the fact that Wisdom and Kelly are both centre-backs by trade, his chances look bright.
Jordan Rossiter
Club and country captain of the Under-16s, Jordan Rossiter has built somewhat of a reputation of himself. At just 15 years old, the English midfielder made his debut for the Under-18s as a substitute in their 4-3 loss to West Brom.
Noted for his aggressive nature, passing ability and attacking mindset, new Under-21 coach Alex Inglethorpe called Rossiter up to the Next Generation Series squad for the tie against Inter Milan on 8th January 2013. Rossiter, entering late on in the 4-1 victory, almost instantaneously assisted Samed Yesil, who strayed offside.
As he readied on the touchline, Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler Tweeted “A young lad just about to come on for a few mins for Liverpool in nextgen… Jordan Rossiter, big shout but potentially a young Stevie g..”
It’s a big shout for such a young player, but it’s not often you hear comparisons like that.
Jordon Ibe
Liverpool beat the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United to the signing of Jordon Ibe from Wycombe Wanderers for a fee rising to £1,000,000 in 2011.
Debuting for Wycombe’s first team at the age of just 15, the winger then became the club’s youngest ever Football League player six days later.
The records didn’t stop there; he soon became Wycombe’s youngest ever goal-scorer after netting in his first start, against Sheffield Wednesday.
Immediately placed in the Under-18s squad after signing for Liverpool, Ibe cemented himself as a regular starter, racking up 12 appearances from January until the end of the season and scoring three goals in the process.
Like with McLaughlin, Brendan Rodgers was keen to reward the attacker’s great progress and included him in the pre-season trip to America where he impressed for 45 minutes against Toronto, before being replaced by Joe Cole.
Ibe is currently an influential figure in the Under-21 set-up and has helped them maintain an unbeaten season so far.
Jerome Sinclair
Signed from the academy of West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2011, Jerome Sinclair is currently the youngest player to ever feature for the senior team. The tricky forward reached that feat this season when made a substitute appearance against his former club in the League Cup at 16 years and six days old – displacing the former record holder Jack Robinson.
Starting out with the Under-16s, Mike Marsh quickly noticed his ability and called Sinclair up to the Under-18s towards the back end of the 2011-12 season.
The teenager netted eight goals in just six pre-season games for the Under-18s in the summer of 2012, including a hat trick against Exeter.
Sinclair then continued this good form with a brace in a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace, drawing attention from Rodolfo Borrell, who subsequently called him up for the Next Gen tie against holders Inter Milan where he stood out in the loss.
A week later, First Team Coach Brendan Rodgers named the 16-year-old in the squad for the trip to West Brom, where he came off the subs’ bench to become Liverpool’s youngest ever player.
Big things are expected from Jerome Sinclair, who can take light from the willingness of youth by manager Brendan Rodgers and the impact Raheem Sterling has had on the senior team this season.
Conor Coady
Conor Coady captained the Under-18s in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns before being named in the 16-man squad for the trip to Sparta Prague on 24th February 2011.
The defensive midfielder was then called up to Liverpool’s pre-season tour of Asia in 2011, where he featured and scored against Chinese team Guangdong Sunray Cave.
Back in the academy, Coady went on to spend the 2011-12 season featuring in every League and Next Gen Series game, captaining them to a 3rd place finish in the European competition.
The 19-year-old got his taste of official first team action in the 1-0 loss to Anzhi in the Europa League, where he held his own in difficult conditions against a tough team.
It’s also worth mentioning that he captained the Under-17 England side to their first European Championships in 2010.
Conor Coady has been in and around the first team for a couple of seasons now, but hasn’t ‘broke through’ as of yet. However, as he progresses at Kirkby, he has a real chance of becoming an Anfield regular in the future in the centre of midfield.
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