Steven Gerrard talks Liverpool plans: I must prepare players right for Jurgen Klopp

STEVEN GERRARD says he is focussed on ensuring Liverpool's younger players are ready in every aspect for when they reach the first team under Jurgen Klopp.

Steven Gerrard scores a hat-trick in Liverpool staff game

The former Liverpool captain is busy preparing for his first season in charge of the Liverpool Under 18s.

And the 37-year-old admits he would love nothing more than to help some of the academy players progress into Klopp's side.

"He will only give the opportunity to people who are ready and people who he sees and watches and who he likes," Gerrard told Liverpool's website when discussing Klopp.

"There's been people who have been down to Melwood who don't go down very much or they haven't been seen since. Jurgen is prepared to give people chances who are ready on a football side but who he also likes and who have given him a good impression, if you like.

"I've lived a lot of my dreams at this football club and I know what it means to get into that first team and stay there, and also experience success and have that longevity.

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Steven GerrardBT SPORT

Steven Gerrard wants to help younger players progress into Liverpool's first team

I would love nothing better than to see a lot more people at the Academy go on and follow suit

Steven Gerrard

"I would love nothing better than to see a lot more people at the Academy go on and follow suit."

Gerrard is only just starting out on his managerial career but his experience as a player, that saw him make over 500 league appearances for the Reds, has given him plenty of knowledge in what qualities a player needs to make it at the top level.

And he is brutally honest in what kind of attitude won't be tolerated at Melwood.

"The important thing for me is Jurgen, because I'm going to be judged from the outside maybe with people looking in, at results, which is fine and I expect that and am prepared for that, but the job for me is to try and improve these players on the football pitch, individually and collectively, and also make them professionals behaviour-wise and standard-wise," Gerrard added.

Jurgen KloppREUTERS

Jurgen Klopp is keen to give Liverpool youngsters a chance to impress under his leadership

"So, for example, if one of them jumps out of my group and goes into [Neil Critchley's U23s] group I'm not going to feel like they are going to let me down or let the club down, and it's the same when Critch passes them on to Jurgen.

"We've got to prepare players for first impressions under Jürgen.

"For example, if one of our players goes to Melwood and he's sloppy, he turns up late, he hasn't got the right uniform on, his body language is wrong and then he makes a mess of it on the pitch, he's not going to stay at Melwood very long and we will feel responsible for that.

"There's a lot that goes into it that people maybe on the outside don't expect. It's not just about the football side of it, it's the whole package we need to prepare footballers to be ready for Jurgen Klopp."

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