LFC Foundation event with Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo at St Margaret's School in Aigburth with children from Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool Picture: Liverpool FC/Andrew Powell

LFC Foundation event with Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo at St Margaret's School in Aigburth with children from Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool Picture: Liverpool FC/Andrew Powell

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Leave your preconceptions about footballers at the door.

Alberto Moreno is bombing down the wing with a ball in front him while Javier Manquillo is arm in arm as he shepherds his partner towards the net.

This isn’t Anfield though, this is St Margaret’s School gym in Aigburth and the latest coaching session from the LFC Foundation.

They’ve here every week, the coaches from the LFC Foundation, giving the kids from the Royal School for the Blind a brilliant football session and just as crucially providing some respite time for their parents.

And today they’ve got two special guests in the form of the two Spanish full-backs who don’t stop smiling from the moment they get in the door until they’ve signed off and delivered their goody bags to their new pals at the end.

It’s a heart-warming sight in the sometimes cynical of professional football but there’s absolutely no doubt what it means to the two Liverpool players and to the kids who are thrilled to share their session with them.

Manquillo, 21 and coming to the end of his first year of a two-year loan from Atletico Madrid, said; “It’s absolutely fantastic, everyone really should have the opportunity to come down here and just spend some time. It’s fantastic just seeing those smiles, it makes it all worthwhile and very, very special.

“To know you have made the kids we’ve been playing around with today and working with happy, it’s so special.”

Moreno, a £12m summer 2014 purchase from Sevilla, was also thrilled to spend some time with the children.

“It’s been great, it’s been a really lovely event, everything’s been fantastic. I always do my best to make the kids laugh and I think I did that, they had fun and I had great fun I know that, so hopefully they enjoyed it as much as me.

“It’s really important that the club organises events of this nature. There’s nothing better than when you see the kids who feel close to the club and are supporters of Liverpool, to mess around with them and have fun with them. It’s important for a club like ourselves to take part and to help the community as they do, it’s great.”

Our coaches are here and in 15 special educational needs school every week

Mark Haig, the LFC Foundation’s head of operations, said it’s an event that everyone benefits from.

“Whenever we do anything here, with this group of youngsters, everybody gets something out of it. The youngsters certainly will because it’s great to have first team players come down.

“But I have to say these two players have thrown themselves into it and they’ll get a lot out of tonight.

“The kids are here week in, week out, and they’ve got some complex needs. For us as a Foundation we’re trying to help them be positive about themselves, help them put something back among their own families and friends. There’s no better example than Jake, who was a participant and is now on our coaching staff.

“Our coaches are here, in the Wirral and in 15 special educational needs schools week in, week out.”

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It was announced this week that the Anfield All-Star game in March had raised £1m, money which will be split between the Foundation and other charitable partners.

“For us it means we can look at really developing our programmes. We know we’ve got a vision which will help not just the young people in this city and beyond but other people in the city.

“We’ve got a men’s health programme which is second to none, a military veterans’ programme which has just received international recognition, we can do a lot with that money.

“It’s about the power of the badge. From the men who will come to us rather than the NHS through to the fact it draws these youngsters in to do physical activity, it’s a powerful badge.

“These youngsters love to come down every week, wearing that badge on their chest, having that kit.

“We’re every lucky, the first team players come down, take part and actively encourage what we do. The manager’s right behind it, he’s been at one or two couple of big sessions that we do, the Ladies team get heavily involved in our women and girls programme – we’ve got 300 new girls playing football in this city, that’s the best in the Premier League.”