Newly-appointed Liverpool coach Jay Spearing has likened his excitement about returning to the club to a 'kid on Christmas.'
Spearing was a product of Liverpool's academy and made 55 senior appearances between 2008-2013 under managers Rafael Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Kenny Dalglish and Brendan Rodgers before leaving his boyhood club to sign for Bolton Wanderers in 2013.
Having accumulated over 300 appearances across the English Football League and a wide portfolio of experience in the nine years since, earlier this month it was announced the 33-year-old would be returning to the Reds' academy as a player-coach over the coming campaign.
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The midfielder will work alongside current U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in a bid to provide valuable insight to the hundreds of hopefuls soaring through the Kirkby ranks, while also featuring as an overaged player in select academy games.
Speaking to The Athletic just days after starting his role, Spearing said: “I feel like a kid at Christmas. It’s surreal to be back but an amazing feeling. This is the place I called home from the age of seven before I moved up to Melwood and then left at the age of 23. I’m a Liverpool fan so to have the liver bird on my chest again is extra special and it’s such an exciting time to be here with the success the club is enjoying.
“It was always my dream to play for the first team and I managed to achieve that before going on to have a great career. I loved every minute of it. Now it’s time for the next chapter of my life and trying to help these boys achieve their own dreams.”
Liverpool's decision to appoint- Spearing as a player-coach follows in the footsteps of Manchester United who had employed former academy graduate Paul McShane, 36, to fulfil a similar role in the academy.
The 2012 League Cup winner has since revealed that he was offered a one-year extension at former club Tranmere Rovers but revealed that the call from Liverpool's Academy Director Alex Inglethorpe was simply too good to turn down.
He said: “When Alex [Inglethorpe] first explained the opportunity to me, I was a little bit taken back. I was like, ‘Wow, what a privilege’. For someone of his calibre, with the name he has in the game, to believe I was the right man to come in gave me a lot of confidence. I needed a bit of time to think about things as I’d always wanted to carry on playing as long as possible."
He added: “But the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that this was the ideal next step for me. It was a no-brainer. I’m delighted that Alex and the club believed in me and I’m determined to repay that faith.
“When it was first announced by the club I was viewing a house and my phone went crazy with messages wishing me all the best. Former team-mates of mine like Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina have been in touch and that means a lot. Three days into the job, I’d say this is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
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