After watching seven Academy talents make their senior debut during the 2012-13 season, Ian Ayre has insisted that you cannot put a price on the work being done in Kirkby.

Jordon Ibe completed a magnificent septet for the Reds on the final day of the campaign, following in the footsteps of Conor Coady, Adam Morgan, Jerome Sinclair, Suso, Andre Wisdom and Samed Yesil.

"It's a big investment but it's money well spent," Ayre, the club's managing director, told the Liverpool Echo.

"Both John Henry and Tom Werner have been to the Academy and they see it as a pipeline to success. You can't really put a price on it.

"How do you put a price on the contribution we've had over the years from Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher? The owners are hugely supportive and see great value in the work that's done at the Academy.

"When Brendan came in last year we made significant changes to the way we play football and run the club. One of the things on his CV was that he understood the operation at the Academy, embraces youth and sees the value of bringing players through.

"To have seven debuts in one season says it all and hopefully it's the start of something special. We are blessed with the talent we've got coming through now and that's testament to Frank and his team. The challenge is to keep it going.

"It's a constant process and you have to keep feeding it from the bottom. Some of the work Frank and his team are doing today with the younger age groups we won't see the value of for another 10 years."
Academy director Frank McParland echoed those sentiments and explained the level of interest taken by Brendan Rodgers in the aspiring youngsters.

He added: "To get seven debuts in one season is great and we've had a successful year. Every time one of the lads breaks through it lifts everyone's spirits at the Academy.

"To play one or two games is a great buzz for the boy and his parents, but what we are desperate for is to get players into the first team who are going to stay there. No-one is a complete success for us as an Academy until he has played 100 first-team games.

"The main thing for all the young lads is that they can see a pathway through to Melwood. You can have the best Academy in the world but if the manager doesn't play your players it's not worth having.

"We have a fantastic relationship with Brendan and his staff. Brendan is often down at the Academy, and so are Mike Marsh, Colin Pascoe and John Achterberg.

"Brendan is passionate about youth development. He has done every job at youth level and always wants to know how the kids are progressing.

"Some managers go away during the international breaks but Brendan will ring up and say 'send the U15s down today' and they will go and train with the first-team players. The fact there is one style of play running throughout the club helps.

"The Academy has got stronger thanks to the work of the coaches and scouts bringing in better players to raise the standard so technically when players go to Melwood they can hold their own. We are on two sites but we are one club.

"We have some really talented young Scouse lads who I believe will come through into the first team over the next few years.

"There are two or three local boys who have a very good chance. We're probably two or three years away from seeing the real value of that. It's our job to find the next Carra."

McParland's confidence in local talent will be music to the ears of Ayre, who has consistently pledged that Liverpool will always maintain a Scouse heart within the senior team.

"Jamie epitomises what we're trying to achieve at the Academy. He came all the way through the system from the age of nine and was a wonderful servant to the club," he said.

"Jamie and Steven are the two best examples of what Frank turns up for work for every day. We've seen the likes of Martin Kelly, Jon Flanagan and Jack Robinson come through in recent years and we want other local lads to carry that on.

"I've been watching Liverpool since about 1965 and I can't remember a Liverpool team which didn't have a Scouser in it. I hope that never happens. They have to be good enough but hopefully there will always be local players in there."

 
Jordon Ibe has been voted the 2012-13 Academy Player of the Season by Liverpool supporters.

The 17-year-old former Wycombe starlet enjoyed a memorable campaign and played a starring role in the run to the FA Youth Cup semi-final.

He was handed his first-team debut by Brendan Rodgers in the final game of the season against Queens Park Rangers at Anfield.

Ibe picked up 28 per cent of the total votes cast to edge ahead of U21 captain Conor Coady (26 per cent).

Striker Adam Morgan, who also made his senior bow in 2012-13, was third with nine per cent
 
Liverpool FC Ladies hope to continue their impressive start to the season with another victory when they host Lincoln City on Wednesday night at the Halton Stadium

Matt Beard's side beat Lincoln 1-0 in the very first game of the Women's Super League season when goal machine Natasha Dowie was on target.

Kick-off at the Halton Stadium on Wednesday night is at 7.30pm BST. You can pay at the turnstiles and admission is just £5 for adults and £2.50 concessions.

The Ladies currently sit third in the table after two wins from three games, with the Reds three points off the top spot that is occupied by Bristol.

Beard's side end the first part of the Super League season with three tough matches in succession.

The clash with Lincoln is followed by a mouth-watering Merseyside derby against rivals Everton that will be held at the Arriva Stadium, Marine FC in Crosby at 7.30pm on Tuesday, June 4.

Completing a vital run of fixtures for the Ladies is a home meeting with Birmingham at the Halton Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.15pm on Saturday, June 8.

The league then takes a mini-break before it resumes again on August 10 with the Reds travelling to Bristol Academy.
 
Jon Flanagan and Conor Coady have been named in the England squad for the forthcoming FIFA U20 World Cup.

Boss Peter Taylor narrowed the group down from 35 to 21 and the Anfield duo make the final squad to travel to the tournament which kicks off in Turkey on June 21.

England have been drawn in Group E alongside Iraq, Chile and Egypt.

The opening game for Flanagan and Coady is against Iraq on Sunday, June 23 at 7pm BST.
 
Southampton full-back Luke Shaw has withdrawn from Stuart Pearce's squad with injury, giving Robinson - who recently returned to the Reds from a loan spell at Wolves - an opportunity.

The 19-year-old joins fellow Reds Jordan Henderson, Jonjo Shelvey and Andre Wisdom in the Three Lions squad for the biannual tournament, which kicks off next month.

England open the competition with a tie against Italy on June 5 before meeting Norway three days later and completing their Group A campaign against the hosts. The top two teams in each section progress to the semi-finals.
 
Former Wycombe midfielder Ibe made his first-team debut in the win over QPR last Sunday and Rodgers predicts a bright future for the 17-year-old as well as the rest of the youngsters at the club.

Ibe made his bow for the Reds on the same day that veteran centre half Jamie Carragher called it a day at Anfield.

Rodgers said: “I thought he did very well as the game went on, it’s not easy at Anfield and it was his first appearance for the first team.

“I thought he got better and better, I told him he would get 60 to 65 minutes and get a feel for it.

“He’s got really good potential and you can see he is a footballer, he linked up very well with (Philippe) Coutninho.

“I think for all the young players, hopefully they see from this season there is hope for them here and they will get an opportunity but there’s an awful long way to go for a lot of them.”