How do you measure the success of a football club’s academy? There can never be one definitive assessment which works for every single team, of course, but clearly the players produced are the broad standard by which they must be judged.
The ultimate dream is to produce footballers of sufficient quality that they can become first team fixtures for the majority of their career, if not the duration. This is an area in which Liverpool have been successful over the years, from the days of Ian Callaghan during Bill Shankly’s time in charge, through to the likes of Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard in the modern era.
The standards required have arguably never been higher. Trent Alexander-Arnold has broken records for assists by a defender in the Premier League and is one of the most creative and progressive passers in Europe’s big five leagues. Yet all you ever seem to hear from pundits is that he is defensively suspect and not suited to Gareth Southgate’s England.
