Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool will field ‘a team of Scousers’ within the next decade
Written by News on 08/07/2020
Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Liverpool will be able to field “a team full of Scousers” within the next decade after seeing Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones graduate from the academy.
Jones, 19, committed his long-term future to his boyhood club by a signing a new deal on Saturday, before scoring his first Premier League goal the following day in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
Klopp believes there is enough local talent to eventually fill a full senior team and says he will continue to give opportunities to younger players from all backgrounds.
“Here we will always try to use them as often as possible because the dream is to have all boys [in a team],” said Klopp at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Brighton, live on Sky Sports.
“It will not happen in the next five years but maybe 10 years, it would be great to have a team full of Scousers, why not?
“It is not a bad thing to be a Scouser, it is a good thing. They are hardworking, it is clear that they will fight like crazy… the characteristics of a Scouser.
“But the door is always open for all the other boys who want to play good football. Liverpool is a very open-minded club.”
Liverpool have also moved to secure the future of London-born Harvey Elliott, signing the 17-year-old to his first professional deal on Monday.
Elliott, who joined Liverpool from Fulham last summer, has made eight senior appearances for Liverpool this season, including two in the Premier League.
Klopp believes he already has the next generation of talent lined up and has been impressed with the maturity of his younger players.
“We have a good team, which already has a good age group, but the future is already prepared with a few really, really good footballers,” he added.
“I am really happy that the boys see it the same way. For young players, the biggest plus they have is time but when they lose patience, things can go not exactly like they should go.
“Our boys want to play, want to be involved and see everything in training. They are really close but not losing patience that they are not playing 90 minutes every three days, or something like that.
“We try to help them as much possible to become the best player they can be. That’s what we do with all the players but with the younger players, the responsibility is obviously bigger on our side.
“That is why I really like how these boys have committed 100 per cent to that way. It is a wonderful sign for all of us that the next few are already lined up.”
Liverpool need 12 points from their remaining five games to set a new Premier League record of 101 points in a season.
The Reds continue their campaign away at Brighton on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports, and Klopp has been impressed with Graham Potter, who looks to set to guide the Seagulls to safety in his first full season in charge.
“It is the biggest challenge as a football manager, to implement your ideas while you have to produce results,” said Klopp.
“Nobody waits nowadays for the results, everyone wants to see them immediately. I have a lot of respect for what Graham is doing there.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Jurgen Klopp hopes Liverpool will field ‘a team of Scousers’ within the next decade
