Liverpool academy chief Frank McParland admits their youth system has taken on greater significance in the last 12 months.

Club owners John Henry and Tom Werner have made no secret of their belief that developing players through the Academy is key to their vision of a successful future for Liverpool, and McParland is pleased with their input to date.

"The new owners have been very supportive of the Academy," he told liverpoolfc.com. "They've been down here quite a lot and their focus is on youth football. They've been really proactive with us and we're really pleased about that relationship."