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You can feel the buzz at the Liverpool Academy.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s accomplished full Premier League debut at Old Trafford on Sunday added to the growing list of achievements for those at the Kirkby complex to savour.

A week earlier the 18-year-old full-back from West Derby had been one of five Academy graduates named in the youngest starting line up in the club’s 125-year history for the FA Cup tie with Plymouth.

Two months ago Ben Woodburn smashed Michael Owen’s record when he became the Reds’ youngest ever goal scorer when he netted against Leeds in the EFL Cup.

This season has already seen Alexander-Arnold, Woodburn and Ovie Ejaria break through to the senior ranks with fellow teenager Harry Wilson in contention to follow in their footsteps in Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay at Home Park.

Academy director Alex Inglethorpe admits that Jurgen Klopp’s willingness to put his faith in youth has energised players and staff alike.

“First and foremost, it gives everyone at the Academy hope,” he told the ECHO.

“It’s one thing talking about it, it’s another thing actually doing it. Jurgen and his staff have all bought into the young ones who are coming through.

“They have taken care of them, nurtured them and given them a platform to play. Then it’s up to the boys to play their part and show they are credible Liverpool players.

“At the minute they are training hard with the first team. How can you not learn as a young player playing with the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and Henderson every day?”

Inglethorpe wasn’t surprised by the composed display Alexander-Arnold served up in the heat of battle with Manchester United.

“Trent acquitted himself really well,” he said. “He’s got a great attitude and he’s someone I’ve personally enjoyed working with.

“If he keeps doing the right things, keeps looking to improve his game and keeps listening at Melwood then he will be in a very good place to take advantage of further opportunities that come his way.

“The biggest compliment I can pay Trent, Ben and Ovie is that I know if they were asked to come and train with their own age group they would apply themselves and feel an obligation to go and show they were the best player.

“I’d trust them to come in and play with the same level of focus and aggression they show every day at Melwood.”

Inglethorpe was there to witness Woodburn write his name in the Anfield record books back in November.

Aged 17 years and 45 days, the Wales youth international’s emphatic finish in front of the Kop was a moment to cherish.

“It was the stuff that dreams are made of. Roy of the Rovers stuff,” he said.

“We try to take an age group along to each game and that night it was the under-18s. It was wonderful to be around them when Ben scored.

“It wasn’t just the goal, it was the performance and the fact they won with Trent and Ovie also doing well.

“It was a wonderful introduction for Ben but you hope it gets better still.”

The hype surrounding Woodburn may have intensified but Inglethorpe says being in the spotlight hasn’t changed him.

“Ben is very level-headed,” he said. “He just wants to enjoy his football and show what he can do. All the things around the periphery at the minute don’t affect him.

“He recognises that he doesn’t want that goal to be the defining moment in his career. It’s just the start. He doesn’t want that goal to be what he’s remembered for.

“All his efforts and concentration is focused in one direction and that’s to become a footballer.

“Goodness me, he’s 17 years of age. That’s nothing is it? He could still be playing in our youth team as a first year scholar.”

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Alexander-Arnold, Woodburn and Ejaria showed they had the talent to make the leap to Melwood but it’s their attitude which has helped keep them there.

“The boys have got to have this wonderful mixture of humility and be prepared to learn, but they also have got to be brave enough and fearless enough to believe in their ability to go and play,” Inglethorpe said.

“It’s a fine line they have to tread most days to get that balance right.

“You have to feel like you belong but still recognise that you have to be patient and be ready to take your opportunity when it comes.”

Spend time in Inglethorpe’s company and it’s clear that developing a youngster’s personality is just as important to him as maximising their technical ability.

Liverpool have taken steps to combat the ‘too much, too soon’ culture in English football.

With the owners’ backing, the Academy brought in a wage cap of £40,000 per year for their 17-year-old first year professionals.

That’s their basic salary and contracts are heavily incentivised with bonuses based on under-23s and first-team appearances. It’s about rewarding success rather than failure.

With other Premier League clubs offering the promise of greater guaranteed riches there’s clearly a danger that some teenagers will opt to go elsewhere.

But so far Liverpool haven’t found that to be the case. Parents and even some agents have appreciated that it’s a common sense approach which is in a youngster’s long-term interests.

There’s no room for big egos at Kirkby. Any Academy player who turns up driving a car deemed too flash is told to park in David Lloyd next door.

“The best players tend to be the ones who sit under the radar,” Inglethorpe said.

“The ones that announce themselves a bit too early put added pressure on themselves they don’t need.

“It’s hard enough being 17 or 18 as an ordinary kid, it’s a tough enough time in your life anyway, let alone when you’re under scrutiny and trying to become a footballer.

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“We’ve got a duty to further the image of young footballers and push it in a positive direction.”

Away from the training field, the Academy schedule is packed with events designed to provide life skills and keep them grounded.

From cooking and cleaning to helping out at homeless shelters, holding reading classes with local school kids and going camping on RAF exercises.

Last summer there was a trip to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

“These aren’t things where you turn up in your Liverpool tracksuit, have your photo taken and get off,” Inglethorpe said.

“These are meaningful pursuits where a young boy realises there’s more to life than maybe the bubble he exists in.

“We’ll go to the homeless shelter and work with the nuns to prepare and serve the food. You don’t go in your tracksuit, that’s not what they want to see. They just want their food on the table.

“We went to Dachau and we had a Holocaust survivor who came in to speak to the boys. We don’t just pay lip service to the fact there’s more to life than being a footballer.

“A large percentage of these boys might not get the chance to play for Liverpool. Even if they do they will need a life afterwards.”

On the field at Kirkby, standards have been bolstered by the decision to reduce numbers from around 240 to 170 in recent years. It’s about quality rather than quantity.

Inglethorpe also wisely brought back into the fold highly respected youth coaches Steve Heighway and Dave Shannon, who were so influential in the development of Kop legends Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

“We’re in a healthy situation,” he added.

“If you want to become a footballer then you need to go somewhere where you are going to play.

"The pathway here is clear.”