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Just five miles divide Liverpool FC’s historic Melwood training ground from their Kirkby Youth Academy – or a brief 14 minute drive according to an AA route finder.

But for youngsters aspiring to emulate their first team idols they are worlds apart.

Now Liverpool are investigating plans to bring the club’s youth players back under the same roof as the senior stars – hoping that the proximity of the first team players would act as an inspiration.

Plans have only reached the feasibility study stage at present, but the switch has the firm backing of boss Brendan Rodgers.

In pictures: Melwood memories

Managing director Ian Ayre, speaking at a Liverpool Business Week breakfast with Blues chief executive Robert Elstone, revealed: “Brendan has said recently he wishes he could see more of the Academy than he does and that being between two sites isn’t ideal.

“It is something we have looked at in the past but for every decision like that it comes back to finding the right economic model.

“But it’s something we’re actually doing a piece of work on at the moment, another sort of feasibility study if you like, because one of the great things they have at Finch Farm which we currently don’t have is a situation where you have those young players coming in in the morning, seeing Steven Gerrard turning right while they turn left and hoping one day that they take the same route.

“We make it work – and it is working – but there is definitely more value in having everyone together. And if we can find a solution to that it is absolutely something we would do.”

Liverpool decided to split their training operation in 1998, when a new training Academy in Kirkby was unveiled.

A couple of years later Melwood underwent a dramatic redesign and refurbishment.

The Liverpool Academy has continued to produce first team players – seven made the step up from the Youth Academy to the first team last season – but the Reds hope that if they can bring the two centres together more youngsters may be inspired by the example of senior stars like Gerrard and recently retired Jamie Carragher.

“We had seven players from our Academy making their debuts for the first team last year,” added Ayre. “It’s always going to be a challenge – it’s the Premier League, it’s the top league in the world, and so you’re trying to find one of 20 or so players for the first team and that’s much more difficult.

“And because of the influx of international talent that just makes making that grade that much harder, but you do have to keep plugging away at it.

“I think what you see more now at Everton and Liverpool and other Academies is that you’re bringing players in, probably a bit later at 14 or 15 – Raheem would be a great example from QPR – and turning into the player that he is now who plays for the first team on Saturday.

“You have to get that mix because I don’t think you would achieve what you’re trying to do otherwise.

“You’re making a smaller, cheaper investment in a player at 15 in order to get somebody you might pay whatever the price would be today.

“We’re pleased with our progress.

“But Brendan has said many times we will try to improve our own scouting locally more than anywhere because we recognise what local people like Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard bring.

“It brings more than just another player. It brings more not just for the club but for the city I think.

“But I think the best test for that is that there aren’t many players who have played in the Premier League that are from Liverpool or Merseyside who haven’t played for one of our two clubs.

Our fathers who started Melwood

Melwood training ground has been home to Liverpool’s first team players since the 1950s.

The ground was named after two priests – Father Melling and Father Woodlock – who administered the ground for its previous owners, St Francis Xavier school.

Melwood was in a poor condition in 1959 when Bill Shankly was appointed manager – but he helped transform the facility into an iconic training ground.

Players would meet and change for training at Anfield and then board the team bus for the short trip to Melwood. After training, they would bus back to Anfield to shower and change and eat.

In January 2001 Liverpool started work on the Millennium Pavilion, a modern facility for players and coaches, designed in part and heavily influenced by then manager Gérard Houllier.

15 years of developing at Kirkby

Liverpool's Kirkby Academy opened its doors for the first time in 1998.

Its mission purpose was to “provide a more focused youth development programme,” and enable Melwood to be kept solely for use by the first team squad.

Gerard Houllier was boss when Kirkby saw its first influx of youngsters, but Rafa Benitez wanted more involvement in the Academy when he took over in 2004 and introduced renowned Spanish youth coaches Jose Segura and Rodolfo Borrell, both former employees at Barcelona's famed La Masia youth academy

Under Borrell’s tenure the number of players progressing from Academy to senior football accelerated with players like Raheem Sterling, Andre Wisdom, Suso, Jon Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Adam Morgan, Conor Coady, Jordon Ibe and Jerome Sinclair all making the transition.

In May 2011, as part of an extensive restructuring of the academy, Borrell was promoted to Reserve team coach with Mike Marsh replacing Borrell as coach of the under-18s.