One of the first things you notice in Alex Inglethorpe’s office at Liverpool‘s AXA Training Centre is a framed image gifted by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It is a picture from 2019 of the academy director and player watching a game together. Alexander-Arnold left for a new challenge at Real Madrid last year, after 20 years on Merseyside, but his story is one of inspiration for everyone that enters Liverpool‘s academy.

He joined as a six-year-old in 2004 and went on to win the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup with Liverpool.

“The ideal for any academy, and certainly for us, is wanting young players – and hopefully they’re local players – to improve the first team and in doing so, they come and win trophies,” says Inglethorpe.

“At Liverpool the bar is high, so to have a player capable of winning everything that you could possibly win is a dream.”

Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team.

One of the phrases used is ‘the first team pitch is only 300 metres away from the academy building in Kirkby, but the journey might take 10 years to get there’.

Under new boss Andoni Iraola, players like Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni, Lewis Koumas and James McConnell, who have spent time at the academy, have all featured this season.

“We were fortunate because of how the calendar worked, with players still at the World Cup and a delayed return. Andoni and his staff spent a lot of his first week here watching the academy,” says Inglethorpe.

“So we felt ahead, in terms of building a relationship from the outset.”

Exeter boss Rob Baxter says he has been impressed with how young Wales back-row Kane James is maturing.

The 21-year-old won his international first cap in July when Wales lost in Argentina in the Nations Championship.

James broke into the Exeter squad last season and has started both of the Chiefs’ Prem games so far this campaign.

“He’s just following that really nice route where he’s improving at a nice rate, he’s having some good impact on games,” Baxter said.

“Kane can be really pleased with the trajectory his game is going in at the minute.”

James’ physical development has also been noted by Baxter, who says the former England Under-20 player – who switched allegiance to the country he grew up in earlier this year – has been working hard off the field.

“He’s getting thicker, that will happen with quality training, making sure he gets his nutrition and all this kind of stuff,” Baxter added.

“He’s such a diligent guy he is going to maximise his strength and his growth, but he is going to get bigger for quite some time, I would say with Kane.

“That obviously is helping him ride the contact, he’s explosive and very quick.

“Kane’s had a really, really good start to the season, we’ve got to just keep working on these little individual bits and pieces – sometimes in his determination to fly around, a little bit of accuracy trips, but that’s the way you want it.

“You want these lads enthusiastic to run around and get in the game and I think there’s a lot more still to come from Kane.”