Liverpool have brought one of their most recent under-21s captains back to the club after three years away, with Tom Clayton taking up a coaching role at age 24.
Clayton spent his entire upbringing within the Liverpool academy setup, signing as an under-9s player in 2009 and going on to captain the U21s.
But with a first-team breakthrough proving elusive, the club sanctioned a permanent move to League Two side Swindon Town in 2022.
Unfortunately, the centre-back barely featured after an impressive debut campaign that saw him play 34 times in all competitions, and he was released at the end of his second season.
Struggling with a serious injury, 24-year-old Clayton has now taken up a position with Liverpool, currently acting as U16s assistant coach.
There he supports U16s head coach Lewis Nightingale as they nurture the next generation of talents hoping to work their way up to the U18s, U21s and ultimately the first team.
It remains to be seen if this will be a long-term position for Clayton or if he holds ambitions of returning to a playing role elsewhere.
But it maintains a commitment from the club to supporting their academy graduates wherever possible, including staff roles if they are deemed suitable.
Jordan Hunter, who spent a decade in the academy, briefly played alongside Clayton and now holds the position of academy fitness rehab coach having found himself out of professional football at 25.
Jay Spearing, Michael Yates, Jon Newby, Steve Gorst and Joel Bonner are among those from previous generations who have followed a similar path and now work for Liverpool.
Clayton, who inherited the U21s armband in 2021, was part of the side that won the Lancashire Senior Cup in his final season in the academy.
He lifted the trophy after a 1-0 win over Burnley in the final having played the full 90 minutes in midfield, with Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Tyler Morton, Owen Beck, Rhys Williams, Leighton Clarkson and Marcelo Pitaluga all starting.
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