Liverpool have sought to forge stronger connections between the first team and the academy, and Arne Slot is helping to create a seamless transition with a weekly training invitation.
The club’s investment in the academy has proved fruitful over the decades, and the switch to the AXA Training Centre has strengthened the ties between the first team and the next generation.
It was reported earlier this season that training times have been synchronised across the first team, U21s and U18s to allow for flexibility in youngsters being drafted into sessions.
But that is not the only initiative utilised by Slot and Co., with the new U21s head coach Rob Page explaining to Liverpool’s website that his side often receive a weekly invite to train with the first team.
“The manager has been brilliant with us. Maybe once a week we’ll go over and train with them and it’s great for the players,” Page explained.
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“It’s great for us coaches because we get to go over and watch the first-team coaches and manager, but for the players to join in, it gives them a lift straight away.
“You can see the energy increase by 50 percent straight away because they are training with the first-team players and it’s an incredible experience for them.
“We really enjoy the time that we spend with them and they couldn’t be more accommodating to us.
“They’ve been brilliant. When our players go over, the first-team players make them feel comfortable and have conversations with them.
“For Rio, for example, to go over and settle in like he has says a lot about the senior players over there in terms of helping the younger ones.
“We share the same building and there is a close relationship between both groups.”
Making the transition smoother between the academy and the first team will allow the club’s young players to settle in quicker and show their true ability without as many added nerves.
The U21s also emulate Slot’s playing style to assist their assimilation once an opportunity does arise, all small details that make up the bigger picture.
It is why the likes of Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and Jayden Danns have not looked out of place when they stepped up, nor the likes of Conor Bradley, Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah before them.
Jurgen Klopp‘s legacy at Liverpool will always extend to his work with the academy and investing in the club’s young talent, something Slot is continuing in his own way.
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