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On Thursday, the club announced that former Liverpool captain and forever Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard will be taking over as head coach of the Liverpool U18s. Gerrard made it known for years that he had an interest in going into management after he retired from playing, and getting his feet wet with the U18s seems like a good place to start his new career.
Gerrard’s grandpa-level opinions on computer games and kids these days and the lack of physicality in British football aside, the former world class midfielder and England captain will no doubt be a hugely inspirational figure to the young Reds coming up through the Academy system.
Neil Critchley, the former U18s coach who has been moved up to the U23s, has plenty of praise for the hometown hero.
"Steven has been unbelievable. He doesn’t know the importance of his own presence and the influence he has on people as just his presence alone is enough to inspire you," he told the official website.
"The way he has gone about his business here and the way he has been as a person, [it] has been fantastic to be around his company.
"The boys are going to benefit from that hugely going forward and, with the support he will get around him as well, it can only be a benefit to the Academy as a whole – not just the U18s but the younger players behind them as well.
"It’s big news for the club and it’s a fantastic opportunity for him.
"He’s really loved being at the Academy since he has been here and it’s a role that will be a real challenge for him but one that he will be really looking forward to."
Gerrard’s progress with the Academy kids will surely be something that Liverpool fans monitor closely in the coming months with a keen interest.