Liverpool have placed a salary cap on their academy players in an attempt to curb the excesses that can derail promising young careers.

Under the new policy, implemented with the support of the manager, Jürgen Klopp, 17-year-old players in the first season of a professional contract will not earn more than a basic salary of £40,000 a year. Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton have imposed similar limits on their academy players and Liverpool hope the move will ensure graduates remain focused on their career path to Klopp’s first team and are not distracted by the trappings of the job.

Klopp has demonstrated his faith in Liverpool’s youngsters during his first 12 months in charge, with nine academy players making senior debuts last season and players such as Ovie Ejaria, Ben Woodburn and Trent Alexander-Arnold involved in pre-season.

The academy director, Alex Inglethorpe, has also implemented a drastic reduction in the number of players at Liverpool’s academy recently, with the intake falling from 240 to 170 as the club places the emphasis on quality over quantity.

(Guardian service)