Liverpool moulding future stars

After more than a decade of drought, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish believes the production line of home-grown talent that groomed the likes of Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen is ready to start churning out the stars of Anfield's future again. The Scot has already brought teenage full-backs John Flanagan and Jack Robinson — both of whom finished Sunday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal - into his side, while granting another graduate of the club's Kirkby academy, Jay Spearing, his first run in the senior team. While all three have been fast-tracked into Dalglish's plans because of Liverpool's paper-thin squad and increasingly lengthy injury list - featuring Martin Kelly, another graduate - the 60 year-old has such faith in the quality of players being produced at youth team level that he is convinced they are blazing a trail many others will follow. "I think some of the academy players have a lot to offer, whether it's this year or next," he said. "We are delighted with the progress the academy has made, and the individual players, too. "Rafa Benitez put the structure in place over a year ago, bringing in Pep Segura and Rodolfo Borrell, and Frank MacParland going down there for recruitment. Since then, what they have done has been brilliant - really helpful to the players, and, if it's helpful to them, it will be of use to the club." Dalglish, of course, was part of the original revamp of the academy staff, being brought in to work at Kirkby as a club ambassador. It was no surprise to see him sharing a smile with Robinson as he came on at the Emirates, or a quiet word with Flanagan after his clash of heads with Carragher: these are players he has seen grow up. There are others, too. Raheem Sterling, the 16-year-old winger and star of the club's Under-18 side, warmed up with Dalglish's substitutes before the game against Arsenal, while Conor Coady, an England Under-17 captain, was included on the bench for a Europa League game with Sparta Prague. The Scot insists he cannot explain why Liverpool's formerly prolific youth system lay fallow for a decade -Stephen Warnock, now of Aston Villa, was the last player of note to emerge.