Even after winning the Carabao Cup, Liverpool’s talented young players still have a lot of rules to follow.
Virgil van Dijk’s winning goal in extra time against Chelsea at Wembley gave the Reds their eleventh League Cup victory in history.
Jurgen Klopp, the departing manager, called the victory “the most special” because Liverpool won the cup without several first-team players.
Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, Alisson, Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, and Trent Alexander-Arnold were all sidelined, and Ryan Gravenberch left the game with a serious injury sustained from a bad challenge by Moises Caicedo in the first half.
Liverpool’s youth gained exposure as a result, and as Klopp’s offspring performed well, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns, and Jarell Quansah were all brought on.
Conor Bradley, who had a breakout season at Anfield, became one of the team’s more seasoned players. Liverpool is producing a lot of diamonds, and the team has policies in place to make sure they stay grounded.
Jamie Carragher, a club veteran and academy alum, and Alex Inglethorpe, head of Liverpool’s academy, discussed everything in an interview with The Telegraph.
Young players are limited in the type of vehicle they can drive and are not subject to a wage restriction, with the highest salary being £50,000 annually.
In another rule that sounds like it belongs in a school, players are required to turn in their phones when they enter the training area.
Inglethorpe explained: “It is a safety thing as much as anything.
“I don’t want boys who have just passed their test with these big chunks of metal, but I was also fed up seeing a car park full of Range Rovers. If anyone turns up with one of them, they are parking it next door.”
He added: “We have a pay structure which is fairly old-fashioned. We give them jobs to do. We tell them to hand their phone over at 8.30am and give them back before they go home.
“You have been a senior player. You know how it is when a young player comes into the dressing room. You want respect for the pathway. They have to earn what comes their way first. All the other stuff is fine later. To get there you have to do it on the pitch.”
