Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe signs new long-term deal at Anfield

Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool's academy director, has signed a new long-term contract at the Anfield club. The 44-year-old former Exeter City manager has committed his future to the Reds, for whom he is responsible for developing the stars of the future.

Inglethorpe joined Liverpool in 2012, when he was appointed as the club's under-21 manager. But since 2014, he has been in charge of overseeing the club's youth structure, which has produced a number of players for the first-team in recent seasons.

"I feel very fortunate," the Liverpool academy director revealed after penning his new deal. "I feel I've got the best youth job in football and I'm delighted, first and foremost, to be wanted by the club to stick around for a while longer. There was absolutely no hesitation from my part to commit for as long as they want me."

Inglethorpe also admitted he was fortunate to be working alongside Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who has recently handed first-team opportunities to the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Maguire. "Our manager is a developer of talent, there is no question of that," Inglethorpe said, as quoted by the club's official website.

"He is outstanding at doing what he does. He is incredibly brave. He has a genuine belief; a lot of people talk about having belief in youth and giving youth their chance, but it's one thing to talk about it and another thing to actually do it. We're very fortunate to have a manager and his staff who all believe passionately about developing younger players."

Inglethorpe acknowledged, too, that Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, have been supportive of the work he has done with the academy. "I think the owners have got to take credit for that because it's their philosophy too," Inglethorpe said. "They believe in hard work, integrity and young players coming in and being given an opportunity."