Jeremie Frimpong of Manchester City competes for the ball with Yasser Larouci of Liverpool during the FA Youth Cup final on April 25 2019
Jeremie Frimpong of Manchester City competes for the ball with Yasser Larouci of Liverpool during the FA Youth Cup final on April 25 2019
(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Change is coming to the Liverpool Academy. With under-21s coach Barry Lewtas having followed U18s boss Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in ending his time working at Kirkby, the Reds have two key appointments to determine that will help develop the next generation of talent.
But while concentration is very much on the present and future, the departure of two hugely influential figures also calls for some retrospection that highlights the pitfalls and unusual paths that often await young players as they attempt to fashion a career as a senior professional.
Both Lewtas and Bridge-Wilkinson took charge of Liverpool teams that reached the FA Youth Cup Final.
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The former oversaw a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory at Manchester City in 2019 while, two years later, the latter was at the helm of a young Reds side that lost 2-1 at Aston Villa.
And there were some familiar names in action in both matches to demonstrate the value of progress at Academy at level and the impact made by the departed coaching duo.
The most recent final defeat in 2021 featured three players who are regulars in the current Liverpool senior squad, two of whom played their part in the recent Premier League title win. Centre-back Jarell Quansah was skipper of the U18s in 2021, while Conor Bradley lined up at right-back and Tyler Morton was in midfield.
There are others who remain at the club. Luca Stephenson, who had a successful loan spell at Dundee United this season, also started, along with goalkeeper Harvey Davies and James Norris, while among the substitutes were Stefan Bajcetic, Isaac Mabaya and Luke Chambers, all of whom have subsequently had first-team experience. Goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek and midfielder James Balagizi also featured.
In opposition, midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, now at Chelsea, is the most recognisable name although Aaron Ramsey (Burnley), Ben Chrisene (Norwich City) and Seb Revan (Wrexham) are carving out careers elsewhere.
Two years earlier, Liverpool won their fourth FA Youth Cup by beating Manchester City on penalties after a late goal from Bobby Duncan ensured a 1-1 draw and extra time.
Duncan moved to Fiorentina shortly afterwards in contentious circumstances but failed to make an impact in Italy, and after disappointing spells at Derby County and in the Spanish fourth tier has been without a club for two years.
There were happier times for many of the other Liverpool players with Neco Williams, Leighton Clarkson, Yasser Larouci and Elijah Dixon-Bonner going on to play for the first team before establishing themselves at other clubs, while goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros and centre-back Rhys Williams are still at Anfield.
Given the sole aim of the Academy is to provide players to challenge for the Liverpool first-team, those FA Youth Cup final line-ups demonstrate Lewtas and Bridge-Wilkinson more than met their brief. And that's without including the likes of Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher, who had already been fast-tracked into the first-team fold.
Notable careers from the 2019 game have also been forged by those who featured for City, including Eric Garcia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Tommy Doyle, Gavin Bazunu and Cole Palmer, who was the only player to miss in the shoot-out.
And lining up at right-back that evening for City was an 18-year-old who had spent almost a decade at the club's Academy.
It was, of course, Jeremie Frimpong, who less than four months later opted to leave for a two-year stint at Celtic before moving to Bayer Leverkusen and, earlier this month, arriving back in England as Liverpool's first signing as Premier League champions in a £29million deal.
Frimpong revealed earlier this year a preferred move to the Liverpool Academy was curtailed as a youngster due to transportation issues. And if his eventual journey to Anfield has been circuitous, it serves as a reminder to Academy players the route to the first team isn't always the most straightforward.
The challenge for Liverpool now is to appoint the right coaches to direct their next raft of fledgling youngsters down the right path.