Academy

The Liverpool academy is famed around the world for producing a flurry of future first-team icons, so Rousing The Kop looks at 10 of the best graduates from the Reds’ youth ranks ever.

Home-grown heroes litter Liverpool’s history as a club with academy products graduating to vital senior positions regularly on Merseyside. Even Ian Callaghan, who boasts the record of Liverpool’s all-time appearance maker, rose out of their academy to star at Anfield for years.

An array of potential future first-team players also litter Liverpool’s academy now with their Under-21 squad packed with promising talents. So, here is the current U21 Liverpool squad.

Liverpool Under-21 Squad

Liverpool U21 Goalkeepers

• Harvey Davies
• Reece Trueman
• Jacob Poytress
• Oscar Kelly
• Jakub Ojrzynski
• Fabian Mrozek
• Nathan Morana
• Kornel Misciur

Liverpool U21 Defenders

• Amara Nallo
• Wellity Lucky
• Lee Jonas
• James Norris
• Isaac Mabaya
• Terence Miles
• Josh Davidson

Liverpool U21 Midfielders

• Tyler Morton
• Jay Spearing
• Michael Laffey
• James McConnell
• Dominic Corness (on loan to Gillingham)
• James Balagizi
• Kyle Kelly
• Tommy Pilling
• Trey Nyoni
• Kieran Morrison

Liverpool U21 Forwards

• Trent Kone-Doherty
• Ranel Young
• Jayden Danns
• Oakley Connonier
• Keyrol Figueroa

Liverpool’s 10 best academy products including Steven Gerrard and Trent Alexander-Arnold

Future Liverpool legend and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold also learned his trade with the Reds’ academy. He followed in the footsteps of fellow youth product turned club legend Steven Gerrard to bring multiple titles to Liverpool’s trophy cabinet as an academy graduate.

Steven Gerrard

The love affair between Gerrard and Liverpool started at the age of nine when he first joined as an academy prospect. It marked the launch of a journey that lasted for over two decades and featured lifting the Champions League as their captain against AC Milan in 2004/05.

Another Liverpool legend in Kenny Dalglish also handed Gerrard his first-team debut against Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998. The midfielder played from the bench in a 2-0 win at Anfield in the Premier League. But it was not until the next season that he truly emerged.

Gerrard became one of the finest midfielders of his generation whilst at Anfield and earned a spot in the PFA Team of the Year eight times. But the Premier League title alluded him for 17 seasons before leaving for a new adventure in America with MLS side LA Galaxy in 2015.

Liverpool handed Gerrard the club’s captaincy in October 2003 as his influence continued to build under Gerard Houllier. He embodied everything about the Reds with a will to fight for their shirt few could match. Gerrard also made 114 England caps and captained his country.

Jamie Carragher

One club features on the CV of Jamie Carragher, who graduated from Liverpool’s academy in January 1997 and stayed at Anfield up until retiring in 2013. The centre-back made more than 700 appearances for the Merseyside natives as the Scouse rock in their backline.

While Carragher was never the most technically gifted defender of his time, his commitment to the cause cemented his spot in the starting XI. The Bootle boy also proved himself to the Anfield faithful as a player who was happy and able to fill in where needed with regular games as a right-back.

Appearances as a striker even featured in Carragher’s earliest days and he won the treble in the 2000/01 season as a left-back. Such was the respect that Liverpool held for one of their own that the club afforded Carragher the academy graduate’s testimonial at Anfield in 2010.

Only Callaghan has ever made more appearances for Liverpool than Carragher as well. His 137th European appearance for Liverpool in March 2011 was even a British record at the time.

Robbie Fowler

Not only did academy graduate Robbie Fowler become a Liverpool legend, but the Reds even nicknamed their youth product ‘God’. The striker from Toxteth achieved his hero status as a lethal goal threat at Anfield after breaking out under Graeme Souness in September 1993.

He hit the ground running with a goal on debut against Fulham in the League Cup before netting an absurd five goals in the reverse leg at Anfield two weeks later.

Goals flowed from then on with Fowler ending each season from 1994/95 to 96/97 as Liverpool’s top scorer. After a lengthy period away from his boyhood club, Fowler would then famously return in 2006.

Anfield erupted when Fowler made his second debut against Birmingham City as one of the favourite sons of Liverpool returned home.

Michael Owen

Only one player has ever won the Ballon d’Or while at Liverpool, with academy product Michael Owen winning football’s top individual award in 2001. He beat Raul and Oliver Kahn for the gong and became just the fourth – and still the most recent – Englishman to win it.

Owen graduated from Liverpool’s academy to make his senior debut in May 1997, netting in his maiden senior game against Wimbledon.

His pace and clinical finishing set Owen in a class of his own to surpass Fowler as Liverpool’s main goal threat. The striker led the scoring chart at Anfield each season from 1997/98 to 2003/04 – going straight from the academy to the top before Real Madrid called.

A transfer to Manchester United later in his career soured the adulation that some Liverpool fans held for Owen. But few players have come from their academy to enjoy such success at Anfield.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool’s current set of academy gems only have to look to Alexander-Arnold for an example of what is possible as a graduate. The right-back lifted the complete set of major trophies with the Reds before his 24th birthday after emerging as a vital first-team star for Jurgen Klopp.

Alexander-Arnold also became Liverpool’s vice-captain in 2023 when Virgil van Dijk took up the armband Jordan Henderson vacated.

Klopp cemented Alexander-Arnold as a pillar of his first-team while manager of Liverpool up to June 2024. The England international’s creativity became an essential aspect of the Reds’ play, with Alexander-Arnold able to ping a pass anywhere and to anyone at almost any time.

Ronnie Moran

Not only did Ronnie Moran graduate from Liverpool’s academy in 1952 to be a one-club man as a left-back, but the former defensive mainstay also enjoyed a successful period as part of Liverpool’s coaching staff, staying associated with them until 1998.

Liverpool initially signed Moran for their reserve side while he also worked as an apprentice electrician. But Don Welsh took a punt on an 18-year-old Moran with his senior debut. The Reds would not regret the decision but had to wait until 1955/56 to see him truly breakout.

The full-back, nicknamed ‘Sergeant Major’ and ‘Bad Cop’ soon became a leader in defence for the Reds, regularly doing the dirty work and putting his body on the the line for his team.

He even served as the Reds’ caretaker head coach in 1991 and during 1992 as Moran drew on his years of service as an integral part of many great Liverpool sides.

Phil Thompson

Phil Thompson is a true Liverpool legend and one of the most decorated footballers in English footballing history. He won seven Division One titles, three European Cups, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup and three League Cups.

After making his senior debut on Easter Monday in 1972 when the Reds thrashed Manchester United 3-0, with the help of Bill Shankly, Thompson would go on to become a formidable defender after originally breaking through as a midfielder.

Thompson proved to be incredibly reliable and durable throughout his time at the Reds, earning the captain’s armband in 1979 as a result. But as his 30s neared, Thompson’s importance reduced and he secured a move to Sheffield United. Yet he did not call Bramall Lane home for long and retired in 1986.

Thompson hung up his boots at just 31 years old and quickly returned to Liverpool to serve as their reserve coach, before later working as Gerard Houllier’s assistant coach.

Ian Callaghan

One of the biggest accolades Liverpool’s academy can boast is that one of their graduates is the Reds’ all-time first-team appearance maker, with Callaghan appearing 857 times. The midfielder even won five top-flight titles, plus two FA Cups, European Cups and UEFA Cups.

Callaghan was a key player during a trophy-laden era for Liverpool, being awarded for his individual performances with the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1974.

The 1977/78 European Cup final was Callaghan’s last game with Liverpool as they beat Club Brugge 1-0. But his importance had regressed by then thanks to the arrivals of Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness. The midfielder would move to the US before enjoying spells in Wales, Australia and Ireland.

David Fairclough

Local lads are often the pride of Liverpool’s academy and instant fans favourites when they graduate, and David Fairclough was certainly that. The striker burst onto the scene aged 19 under Bob Paisley and soon became known as ‘Supersub’.

Fairclough had a prolific habit of scoring from the bench even from the start of his first-team career. Liverpool especially relished his seven goals in 14 appearances as they lifted the top-flight title in his debut term. It proved to be the first of Fairclough’s three Division One titles.

Anfield was very much Fairclough’s home turf having grown up around half a mile away and attended a school mere yards away. The greatest day of his Reds career was at Anfield, as Fairclough scored against Saint-Etienne in the quarter-final of the European Cup as a sub.

The Kop erupted in March 1977 when Fairclough shrugged off a challenge and stroked the ball home after meeting Ray Kennedy’s pass. Defenders could seldom read what Fairclough was about to try, yet regular starts were still hard to get before injuries took their toll late in his career.

Sammy Lee

April 1978 saw one of Liverpool’s greatest academy products earn his first-team debut as Sammy Lee scored against Leicester City in a 3-2 win. He started the game on the bench but replaced David Johnson after just six minutes.

The energetic midfielder played with character and energy that made him loved by the Reds faithful.

Lee’s first titles with the club came when Liverpool won a European Cup and League Cup double in 1980/81. He won a second European Cup in 1983/84, too, and would finish his Reds career with Lee would later depart with four top-flight titles and two League Cups also to his name.