Liverpool U23s and U18s managers Neil Critchley and Steven Gerrard are preparing their sides for a joint pre-season tour of Hungary this month.
The Reds’ academy sides are set to fly out to Budapest on Sunday, as they continue to work towards a positive start to the 2017/18 campaign.
They will spend a week in Hungary, with academy director Alex Inglethorpe overseeing their development alongside Critchley and Gerrard, in a productive environment.
Critchley’s U23s will play two friendlies while on tour, against MTK on July 18 and Rapid Wien on July 22, while Gerrard’s U18s will take on the Wien U19s on the same day.
Liverpool have a partnership with MTK that has seen 14 players spend time with the club, including Peter Gulacsi, Krisztian Nemeth and Krisztian Adorjan.
After Hungary, the U23s will head to Nuneaton for a tournament that will see them take on Coventry City on July 29 and PSV Eindhoven on July 30.
Gerrard, Inglethorpe and U18s assistant manager Tom Culshaw will fly out to Switzerland with an U19s squad, for clashes with Hamburg on August 7 and AS Roma on August 8.
Academy Pre-Season Schedule
- MTK Budapest vs. Liverpool U23s – July 18
- Rapid Wien vs. Liverpool U23s – July 22
- Rapid Wien U19s vs. Liverpool U18s – July 22
- Coventry City vs. Liverpool U23s – July 29
- PSV Eindhoven vs. Liverpool U23s – July 30
- Hamburg vs. Liverpool U19s – August 7
- AS Roma vs. Liverpool U19s – August 8
While in Hungary, the group will also experience the cultural side of Budapest, with head of education and welfare Phil Roscoe describing this as a key factor for the Reds’ new players.
“The players and the staff will take a lot from this trip and it’s so important to take the boys out their comfort zone,” he told LiverpoolFC.com.
“You learn more about your players on a trip abroad because they are representing Liverpool FC which is a great honour.”
Both the U23s and U18s kicked off pre-season with victories, with Critchley’s side beating Rhyl FC 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Gerrard led the U18s to a rousing 7-0 win over Burton Albion on Friday at St George’s Park.
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