How ex-Portsmouth record holder Gary O'Neil is guiding Liverpool starlets along the same path

Now the midfielder who entered first-team recognition at the age of 16 years, eight months and 12 days, has been challenged with overseeing the emergence of fresh talent.

Yet rather than a romantic reunion at Fratton Park, it is Liverpool who have handed a prized coaching debut to the ambitious 37-year-old.

O’Neil’s career totaled 539 appearances, chiefly at Premier League and Championship level, after granted a January 2000 bow by Pompey boss Tony Pulis against Barnsley.

It represented a club record which stood for 17-and-a-half years before eclipsed by Joe Hancott in August 2017 in the Checkatrade Trophy against Fulham under-21s.

Now the lad from Bromley has hung up his boots and earned employment as assistant coach of Liverpool’s under-23s.

And O’Neil is relishing the first steps in a post-playing career which he hopes will ultimately lead to management.

He told The News: ‘Since aged 25 or 26, I’ve known I want to become a football manager.

‘I have been studying people I’ve played under and the game in general, learning how to get the best out of players.

‘So although I have not actually coached previously, I’ve been preparing myself for it for a long time.

‘Although I want to be a manager, I don’t want to look too far ahead really. Liverpool is such a huge club and given me such a fantastic opportunity that it would be wrong to look any further than trying to repay their trust in me.

‘It’s a little different to first-team football because you have individual projects with each player. Your main aim is to help them progress, getting the best out of them.

‘I was lucky enough to have had a fairly successful career without reaching the heights that some of these lads might do, so hopefully I can pass on any little tips.

‘Once they get to this under-23 stage, we already know what these lads might achieve, so I’m looking to pass on any bits and pieces. Adding one and two per cents here and there could go a long way towards giving them a successful and long career.

‘The aim is to help Liverpool’s academy continue producing the type of players they have been over the last few years to feature in the first-team.

‘You look at Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Curtis Jones will be in and around that soon as well. Those boys show what a great job the Academy are already doing.

‘It’s not easy, but the plan is to keep producing as many players as we can which are good enough to go into Jurgen’s plans.’

O’Neil has joined two faces familiar from his Fratton Park days – Michael Edwards and Dave Woodfine.

Edwards has been Liverpool’s sporting director for almost four years and is credited with driving the club’s excellent player recruitment in recent times.

It was while serving as head of performance at Pompey from December 2003 that he first encountered O’Neil.

After nearly six years at Fratton Park, Edwards left in October 2009 to join Harry Redknapp at Spurs and has been at Liverpool for almost nine years, progressing impressively from his role of head of performance and analysis.

Woodfine, a former Blues backroom colleague of Edwards, is also at Anfield, presently serving as head of football projects and scouting operations.

He spent five years on the south coast, initially as a performance analyst, before replacing Edwards as head of performance analysis upon his Fratton Park departure.

In August 2010, Woodfine followed manager Avram Grant to West Ham and has been at Liverpool for the last six years.

O’Neil added: ‘I was considering applying to coaching and managerial roles at lower-league clubs and wanted to get my CV sorted.

‘So I approached a guy on Liverpool’s backroom staff and asked him take a look at it ahead of sending it out.

‘Having not heard anything for six weeks, I received a call from the Academy manager, Alex Inglethorpe, inviting me up there for a look around and a chat – and it went from there.

‘I went along for a few chats, unofficial interviews, whatever it may have been, and was then offered the job of assistant coach of Liverpool under-23s.

‘Dave Woodfine is here, we’ve had a brief chat and need to catch up soon.

‘I also know ‘Eddie’ Edwards from back in the Pompey days, but we haven’t spoken much since we both left the club and went our separate ways. He’s a good guy who has been part of what has tuned out to be a fantastic spell at Liverpool.

‘The data side of football was just coming into the game when Michael was at Pompey with me. Not only did he bring in analysis and data, he had an educated opinion on players, and it’s no surprise he has gone on to be successful.

‘However, the only person I dealt with before coming here was Alex Inglethorpe, who thankfully felt I could bring something different to the club and complement some of the other coaches who have years of experience.

‘I am sure the boys and staff will help in my learning – just as much as I am going to help them.

‘Hopefully we can continue what has been an extremely successful period, not only for Liverpool’s first-team, but the Academy as well. They have produced some fantastic talent over the last few years.

‘As with any Academy, my remit is to help players progress, ideally to be ready to go into Liverpool’s first-team. If not, to have successful careers at other places.

‘I spent Tuesday evening watching some of the younger groups train, looking at the under-8s to the under-16s to see what’s coming through.

‘It’s amazing to get the opportunity so early in my coaching career – and at a club this size. I feel very grateful and privileged.’

Inevitably news of O’Neil’s appointment sparked hopes among the Fratton faithful of forging a link with Liverpool’s Academy.

The prospect would be particularly favourable amid times of salary caps and 22-squad maximums.

However, as a coach, such a special relationship is unfortunately beyond O’Neil’s remit.

Instead the midfielder who made 192 appearances and scored 17 times for Pompey, is focused on using his experiences to benefit Liverpool’s stars of tomorrow.

He said: ‘There are bits of my career that I would love to share with the lads and I’m sure it will help them.

‘I can talk them through mistakes I’ve made and things I feel went well in my career.

‘As the season progresses, I’m sure I’ll have time to discuss many issues with the youngsters, which they may want to take on board.

‘My main aim is to help the boys – and make them become as good as they can possibly be.’

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