Liverpool have appointed Gary O’Neil as their new under-23 assistant.
O’Neil will work alongside Barry Lewtas, who took charge of the Reds’ most senior development squad following Neil Critchley’s departure to Blackpool.
The 37-year-old spent 12 years of a two-decade professional career with several Premier League clubs, including West Ham and Middlesbrough.
An Achilles injury forced O’Neil into semi-retirement at the end of 2018/19, when he represented Bolton Wanderers, before joining Liverpool’s academy setup.
“I’m really excited. I’ve been desperate to get going,” the ex-midfielder told Liverpoolfc.com.
“It’s been going on for a little while and obviously with the break and the Academy having to take an even longer break than the first team, I’ve had to wait a little while.
“But now it’s finally come around and I’m really excited and can’t wait to get going.”
He added: “Barry is great. He has got a wealth of experience of working with the boys.
“Obviously he’s come through a lot of the age groups with the lads as well, so he knows them very well.
“That will be handy because there’s two ways of looking at it: I’m getting to see them with a fresh set of eyes, which can be useful as well.
“But Barry offers a wealth of experience and obviously I’m new into coaching.
“I think as a team, me and Barry will work very well and there’s some fantastic players to work with.
“For me to have the opportunity to work with such a talented group of young players at such an early part of my coaching career, I feel very privileged.”