Liverpool youth boss shares hidden benefit of academy success after Carabao Cup glory
Liverpool under-21s manager Barry Lewtas has hailed Jurgen Klopp's unwavering belief in the club's academy system and said the incredible progress of Conor Bradley, James McConnell and Bobby Clark is already inspiring the next generation of youngsters at Anfield.
Bradley, McConnell and Clark were three of eight academy players involved in Sunday's odds-defying League Cup final victory over Chelsea, with Jayden Danns, Jarell Quansah, Caoimhin Kelleher, Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni making up the impressive total at Wembley.
Liverpool had been missing 11 players for the showpiece final, with injuries to Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara, Darwin Nunez, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip and Alisson Becker meaning they had to count on several of the Reds' young stars - with 18-year-old Danns remarkably only making his professional debut just four days before the final.
And Academy coach Lewtas insists Klopp's willingness to blood the club's stars of tomorrow with first-team experience is having quite the ripple effect across the board at Liverpool's Kirkby base.
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"It’s been unbelievable. It’s helped our work day to day because the [academy] players see a new player and think it’s possible," Lewtas told the ECHO. "We’ve got Bobby coming off the bench and getting minutes in real big games; Jarell has played quite a lot.
"You’ve obviously got Curtis, who’s kicked on; Trent, who has done incredible things for many years; James McConnell against Norwich City in the FA Cup, the list is quite impressive.
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