Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool head into Sunday’s Premier League clash with Manchester City full of confidence after back-to-back victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
The Reds ended a run of four consecutive league defeats with a 2-0 triumph against Villa last weekend, which lifted them from seventh to third in the table.
Their 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League midweek further underlined their resurgence ahead of the trip to the Etihad Stadium, their final fixture before the November international break, the last of the calendar year.
Arne Slot’s side will aim to maintain their momentum and replicate last season’s 2-0 victory at the Etihad.
In the buildup to the match, Liverpool tied down academy director Alex Inglethorpe to a new long-term contract, according to The Athletic.
His previous deal was set to expire at the end of the season, but the club have reached an agreement for him to continue in his role.
The Premier League champions are preparing a £20million redevelopment of their youth training base, which is expected to be completed in 2028.
The 53-year-old will oversee the project as part of his ongoing leadership.
Inglethorpe joined Liverpool from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 as Under-21s manager and was promoted to academy director two years later.
During his tenure, the academy has produced a steady stream of first-team talent, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Caoimhin Kelleher, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Tyler Morton, and Jayden Danns.
Over the past five years, Liverpool have generated more than £200million from the sales of academy graduates.
Last summer brought in around £100million, including performance-related add-ons, following the departures of Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Kelleher (Brentford), Nat Phillips (West Bromwich Albion), Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Morton (Lyon), and Ben Doak (Bournemouth).
Harvey Elliott, who joined from Fulham at age 16 for £4.3million, completed a deadline-day move to Aston Villa on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for £35million if he makes 10 appearances across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Rio Ngumoha has made an impressive start to life in the senior setup after joining from Chelsea last year, registering seven appearances so far this season.
Teenager Trey Nyoni has also established himself as part of Arne Slot’s first-team squad.
Read more: England officially call up Liverpool duo for triple qualifiers including against Scotland
England officially call up Liverpool defender for Japan international
Pep Guardiola confirms Rodri decision ahead of Liverpool clash
Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.