Former Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan has praised the Reds AXA Training Centre, after visiting the club this weekend.
Klavan was involved in yesterday’s ‘Legends’ game at Anfield, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2-0 win over Celtic. As part of pre-match preparation, the legends squad trained at the AXA on Friday night.
And speaking to liverpoolfc.com about that experience, Klavan hailed the centre, which was built after his time at the club.
“I think Melwood was also high level, but the connection between the young players was not there,” said the Estonian.
“I see the big possibilities that the AXA Training Centre has, the young players can also see the big players coming in, and they can smell the atmosphere and dream a little bit higher and bigger. That is a really good thing.”
Liverpool seeing benefits of AXA move
Believe it or not, it’s now over two years since Liverpool first moved in at the AXA Training Centre. In that time, it’s quickly become part of the fabric of the club.
In addition to the first-class facilities, what really makes it special is having the academy players close by.
As Klavan points out, this can give the youngsters that little extra push to making their dreams of becoming first-team players come true.
Since Liverpool made the move in 2021, the most notable player to do this has been Stefan Bajcetic. Of course, the Spaniard’s quality is such that he would likely have made the step up back at Melwood, too.
But it’s fair to say that having Jurgen Klopp close by and easily able to watch the underage games could have fast-tracked his development.
Of course, Melwood is still missed greatly. You simply can’t replace or manufacture the magic and history that the old training ground possessed. But as Liverpool have moved into a new era, their state-of-the-art training centre is a symbol of the progress they’ve made. Oh and by the way, it’s great to have you back, Raggy!