Newsletter – December 2025
DOC Insight
TRUE PLAYER DEVELOPMENT – PATIENCE IN THE PROCESS –
what a player is at 9, 12 ,or 13 tells you almost nothing about what they can become
Alex Inglethorpe, Liverpool’s Academy Director, is blunt about early ranking, it’s almost meaningless.
➠ Trent Alexander-Arnold not number one in his group.
➠ Connor Bradley not number one in his group.
➠ Jarell Quansah not number one in his group at that time.
And you could go through all of them.
Every now and again you see the obvious one, Jude Bellingham at Birmingham and Rooney at Everton. Clear standouts who stayed standouts. They exist, but they’re the exception.
⇢ Harry Kane shows the reality.
At Tottenham at 13 he was middle of the group at best. Not on the podium. Gold and silver medalist Harry Kane wasn’t anywhere near it according to Alex Inglethorpe when he was at Tottenham Academy then.
Then Brad Friedel came in one day and said “he finishes like Robbie Fowler”.
➝ No backlift.
➝ Hits the ball hard.
➝ Finds corners.
That single comment shifted the perspective.
These players didn’t announce themselves as prodigies, they grew. They changed physically, mentally, technically, socially.
Someone recognised the direction they were moving in, not the snapshot they were frozen in.
Do not obsess over the podium instead of the trajectory. We must focus on the “long runway” instead of the “quick takeoff”.
Alex Inglethorpe’s message is brutal but accurate:
- Don’t children by where they sit in the pack.
- Judge them by what their behaviours, mindset and habits suggest they might become
As a club, we continue to support player development at all levels through:
- Player Development Training (PDT) for 9U-12U
- Developmental Curriculum and Coach Education
- Pool training opportunities and common field training (13U+)
- A proven record of player progression
Directors of Coach and Player Development
North United SC – Dec. 2025
Aaron Lindquist
Todd Dusosky