Liverpool U19

Four FA Youth Cups mark the side out — 1995–96, 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2018–19 — and the pairing of the last two, either side of a run to the 2020–21 final that ended in defeat, says something about a production line that rarely goes quiet for long. Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen came through this level before it had a permanent home; Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones came through after, proof the Kirkby years changed the output rather than just the postcode.

A Premier League 2 Division One title in 2017–18 was followed by a run to the last eight of the UEFA Youth League that same season and again the year after, when the league campaign ended as runners-up. The current group plays in the same two competitions, still measured, as ever at this level, by how many of its number make the step up rather than by the table itself.