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Premier League academy chief names traits that make children into soccer megastars

Kids who sulk, cry and annoy the opposition often have the fierce determination that could take them to the top of the Premier League, one academy chief has said.

While their parents, coaches and opponents may want to change their bad behaviour and even tell them off for it, it could indicate the extra ingredient that will make them superstars, according to Liverpool’s Academy Director.

Alex Inglethorpe, the man who nurtured the five young academy starlets who shocked football as Liverpool beat Chelsea in last year’s Carabao Cup final, said the tantrums are a sign of the “off the scale” competitiveness shown by another of his former proteges Trent Alexander-Arnold.

READ MORE: Premier League fans who top the table for sulking longest after a poor result named

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Asked what turned Trent into an England player and one of football’s greatest passers, Inglethorpe said fantastic support from family, no fear of failure, and “probably the most important ingredient, he is off the scale competitive”.



Trent is one the high points of the Liverpool Academy
Trent is one the high points of the Liverpool Academy

He added: “I thought I was competitive as a player and I still think I’m competitive now, but there are levels. When you talk about Trent or the current (young Liverpool stars) we say ‘We love the ones that hate to lose’.

“And sometimes when they’re little that manifests itself in crying, sort of like falling on the floor, not shaking hands with the opposition. You sort of like then think ‘Ok, well they might just need that’.

“You wouldn’t condone it, you don’t want other kids to follow that. But if it’s a natural reaction and you feel you can channel it in a slightly better way, or you trust that just by getting older you channel it in a slightly different way, then for me that would be the common thread of the players that I’ve worked with. There is a real competitive edge to what they do.”

He said Alexander-Arnold displayed his resilience and burning ambition to come back from the first tough criticism he faced as a right-back to force his way into England’s Euro 2024 squad in a new midfield role.



Alex Inglethorpe has helped nurture the next generation of Premier League footballers
Alex Inglethorpe has helped nurture the next generation of Premier League footballers

Inglethorpe told the High Performance podcast: “What I was most impressed with was his reaction to it. This would have been the first significant bump in the road that he’d had in his professional career, and so sometimes you learn more about yourself and you learn more about how you can deal with adversity when you’re faced with those challenges.

“I don’t think he hid away, he confronted it head-on, and I think in typical Trent fashion he decided the only way he could put it right is probably on the pitch.

“I thought he adapted to a new position, new role, I thought he faced up to it, he didn’t hide behind excuses. He just kept his head down and proved his point with his feet.”

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