AcademyLiverpool U18s to embark on pre-season trip to Germany

Ahead of the U18 Premier League North commencing on August 17, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson is putting his young players through their paces with a series of warm-up matches.

The young Reds will face Bayern at their prestigious academy on Thursday July 25 after taking part in a competition involving other European sides.

Bridge-Wilkinson believes it’s the perfect preparation for his squad to get ready for the new campaign.

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He told Liverpoolfc.com: “It’s great to be back, we have had a good break and are raring to get going again.

“We’ve got a new group of first-years, with the U16s now moving up to U18 level. There’s lots of potential in there and there’s some really good lads, so we are looking forward to getting to work with all of them.

“Next week we have eight days in Germany. We are looking forward to the tournament and everybody will get game time and valuable minutes, getting to play against opposition from different countries. That will be a fantastic experience for each and every one of the lads.

“And then we will stay after that and play Bayern Munich – which will be a really nice game to end that trip.

“We are really looking forward to it. Bayern Munich have been fantastic. They agreed to host us, so we can train there, they will look after us. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us as players and staff, but obviously club to club we have to pay them a lot of compliments.”

An important part of travelling away with young players is how they conduct themselves in a different environment to the Kirkby Academy, with the U18s boss insisting it’s a vital part of their development.

Bridge-Wilkinson continued: “It is so important to take the players out of their comfort zone and test them on and off the pitch.

“From Christmas onwards, a lot of players from the U16s already moved up to U18 level, so they have had that earlier opportunity of training and playing with us. We have kind of got a head start of where some of the boys already are.

“We’ve made some progress so far in pre-season, it's been a nice start, so let’s hope we can continue that.”