Liverpool U18s boss Neil Critchley took some time out of FA Youth Cup preparation to discuss the impact Brendan Rodgers is having on the youth.
Rodgers is a firm believer of young talent and he displayed that in his first season in charge of Liverpool by handing debuts to Andre Wisdom, Suso and Jordan Ibe. In fact, Ibe has just been recalled from a valuable loan spell at Championship side Derby County and came on as a substitute in last weekend’s win against Aston Villa.
Critchley reckons this is more evidence of the good work going on at the academy and the emphasis Rodgers puts on the youth.
More recently, the Liverpool substitute’s bench has seen 17 year olds Jordan Rossiter and Sheyi Ojo take their place and this has rubbed off on the other youth players. “You can see it among the players at training. They know they have a genuine chance of progressing at this football club,” Critchley told the Liverpool Echo.
“The manager has shown that he is looking to give youth a chance. The players here will be thinking ‘I was playing with Sheyi last week or training with him or Jordan. If I keep pushing I’ll get an opportunity’. It’s great motivation.”
However, seeing some of his stars get involved with the senior team may mean that they are unavailable for u18s matches, starting with today’s youth cup 4th round tie against Derby County.
But Critchley sees that only as a positive, “If we don’t see them then we’re delighted with the first team experience they’re having.”
Critchley goes on to state the importance of the FA Youth Cup for the Reds as they hope to win the competition for the fourth time, “…we want to stay in the competition as long as we can.”
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