Sterling and Hodgson praised

Frank McParland has revealed why Roy Hodgson made the shock move to include Raheem Sterling in his squad for the recent pre-season clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The talented teenager enjoyed a 10 minute cameo in the 1-0 defeat in Germany offering supporters who don't make the regular trip to the club's youth base in Kirkby a chance to check out one of our emerging talents.

But how did the fledgling winger come to be on the plane to Moenchengladbach? We caught up with the Academy director earlier this week, to find out.

"I met up with the boss when we went to Germany. I spent two days with him and we had a good chat about the young players we have," explained McParland.

"We think we have some players with potential and he was really interested to hear about them. It was a really positive conversation.

"He asked about Raheem (Sterling) and after we had spoken, he decided to put him in the squad for the game with Borussia.

"The boy is only 15 so it was great that he could play 10 minutes or so. Everyone at the Academy was delighted about that. He is probably the youngest ever player to get near the first team and it was good that the manager showed his trust in our judgment.

"He's still getting to know everything about the club and we are looking forward to working with him more and more in the weeks ahead."

Last summer the club's youth base underwent a revamp that saw an influx of exciting new talent.

McParland admits the departure of Rafael Benitez could well lead to a change in some aspects of the Academy's day-to-day running but is relishing the chance to discuss the future with the former Fulham Supremo.

"The boss is very busy at the moment and we haven't discussed exactly what his plans may be for us here at the Academy," said McParland.

"Once the transfer window closes and he is firmly settled into the job, I'm certain he'll have a say in what is happening here and we will welcome that.

To watch Hodgson's first league press conference in full click on the play button below>>

"Last year we played in line with the formation of the first-team. If the boss keeps the same formation he may want us to carry on as we have been doing, but if not, then he may ask us to change.

"We will always fall in line with what he wants. After all, our job is only about producing players for the first-team. I've said it before and I'll keep saying that - it's not about winning Youth Cups or U9 games."

The Barclays Premier League's decision to introduce the new 25-man squad rule means Liverpool will need to name eight homegrown ahead of the big kick-off.

McParland accepts the change will lead Academies to rethink their approach but is confident the Reds are already beginning to reap the rewards of their endeavours.

"If we can get players that are 15 years of age and they are with us until 18, then they are a homegrown player which is important given the rule change," he added.

"It's making Academies switch focus a bit and club's are looking more to their youth systems. It just means we have to work harder to get the players through. We are really pleased with the way things have gone over the last 18 months.

"We've had more internationals in the youth set-up than I think we have ever had. There are 23 between the ages of 15 and 18 years at present - that's nearly eight per team as we have the U15s, U16s and U18s.

"When a player gets a call-up it basically means other people are telling you they rate your players.

"It doesn't necessarily mean that if they play for England, they will play for Liverpool, but it's a good yardstick."

Hodgson answers your questions on the club's young talent during an exclusive chat with .tv>>