Following on from the news Rafa Benitez’s backroom staff have been given new contracts, it has also been announced former chief scout Frank McParland will “undertake a strategic review of the club’s Academy operation”.
“When I signed my new contract, it was agreed I’d have a more significant influence at the Academy and this is an important step in assessing the future direction we will need to take,” Rafa told the official site.
McParland has been linked with a return to Anfield in recent weeks, having left the club in summer 2007 to team up with then-Bolton manager Sammy Lee.
The club’s academy has been one of the areas Benitez had, reportedly, demanded more control over during his contract negotiations. Fractions in the academy have been somewhat of a talking point among supporters in recent seasons, something we discussed in our podcast in February.
With this news and Rafa’s backroom staff getting new deals, the club is finally showing some sense of direction and McParland is clearly a man Benitez trusts. The Spaniard said “I value Frank’s opinions and know him well from the time he spent working with me at Melwood. He will liaise closely with the staff at the Academy to produce a comprehensive analysis of the operation there before reporting back to me with his recommendations.”
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