Possitive academy post
Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:10 pmRafael Benitez has spoken of his determination to 'connect' Melwood with the club's Academy base in Kirkby in the hope of unearthing more gems from Liverpool's youth production line.
A complaint of many supporters over recent seasons has been the lack of opportunities given to the club's home-grown players, but already Benitez has shown he is prepared to give youth a chance with the inclusions of Stephen Warnock and Darren Potter in his first team plans this year.
The Liverpool boss is keen to ensure the club has the best possible scouting network at its disposal to run the rule over players across the world, but he's well aware of the importance of looking closer to home if a youngster shows he can make the grade.
"I've been talking to Steve Heighway (Academy Director) this week about how we will move forward in the future," said Benitez. "We know we need to change things. One of those areas is in the scouting department and we will be talking more with Steve and The Academy.
"We want to connect The Academy with Melwood far more. We're preparing to watch every player in The Academy very closely. We want to see if they have the high level for the first team.
"My assistant Paco Herrera is working alongside our scouting co-ordinator Frank McParland and the Academy's head of recruitment, Barry Whitbread. They will be scouting players for and from The Academy and for the first team.
"In the reserve team which played on Tuesday, there were five youngsters from The Academy. It's important for us to know what we have. After that, we can decide which direction to go.
"If we have three Owens or Gerrards coming through, okay, we can wait for them. If we don't, we'll need to work harder with the scouts to prepare the future.
"We will be meeting all of our scouts over the next month. After that, we will start deciding which players we want to think about."
A complaint of many supporters over recent seasons has been the lack of opportunities given to the club's home-grown players, but already Benitez has shown he is prepared to give youth a chance with the inclusions of Stephen Warnock and Darren Potter in his first team plans this year.
The Liverpool boss is keen to ensure the club has the best possible scouting network at its disposal to run the rule over players across the world, but he's well aware of the importance of looking closer to home if a youngster shows he can make the grade.
"I've been talking to Steve Heighway (Academy Director) this week about how we will move forward in the future," said Benitez. "We know we need to change things. One of those areas is in the scouting department and we will be talking more with Steve and The Academy.
"We want to connect The Academy with Melwood far more. We're preparing to watch every player in The Academy very closely. We want to see if they have the high level for the first team.
"My assistant Paco Herrera is working alongside our scouting co-ordinator Frank McParland and the Academy's head of recruitment, Barry Whitbread. They will be scouting players for and from The Academy and for the first team.
"In the reserve team which played on Tuesday, there were five youngsters from The Academy. It's important for us to know what we have. After that, we can decide which direction to go.
"If we have three Owens or Gerrards coming through, okay, we can wait for them. If we don't, we'll need to work harder with the scouts to prepare the future.
"We will be meeting all of our scouts over the next month. After that, we will start deciding which players we want to think about."
