Why the Academy will mirror Jürgen Klopp's training programme this pre-season
Liverpool U23s will follow the same training programme as Jürgen Klopp's first team this pre-season in order to ensure any youngster can hit the ground running should they make the desired move up to Melwood.
Members of Neil Critchley's side reported to a sun-drenched Kirkby complex on Wednesday for the first day of the 2019-20 campaign.
And the hard yards have now started for the Reds' Academy prospects as they attempt to mirror the same methods of working as the current champions of Europe.
"We try to follow their programme as much as possible – the training times, the amount of training they do," Critchley explained to Liverpoolfc.com. "That's what we're preparing our boys for, the next step.
"Maybe some of our players will get the opportunity to go to Melwood and train. If we are not working closely to how they work – in terms of the loading and the training – then we're setting our boys up to fail.
"We carry out our testing and then build up the level of training and fitness, quickly introduce them into games.
"The boys look after themselves during the summer, so you can get the footballs out pretty quickly and get into the games pretty quickly. They're all going to get an opportunity to play.
"With the U23s, the nature of the group that we've got, they'll all have different types of ambitions and goals – and managing that is my job.
"But with the group we've got this season, I'm looking forward to working with the players."