Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn are two shining examples of Liverpool’s commitment to youth policy, according to the club’s first-team development coach.

Striker Woodburn, 17, became the Reds’ youngest ever goalscorer when he found the net in the EFL Cup win over Leeds United, in November – his only goal in seven senior appearances.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old right-back Alexander-Arnold made the first of his nine senior Liverpool appearances in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in October, also in the EFL Cup.

Both players remain firmly in the first-team plans of manager Jurgen Klopp, and coach Pep Lijnders believes the pair are perfectly set for a bright future in the game.

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“They help prove a lot of modern misconceptions in football wrong: that you have to be a certain age, a certain size,” said Lijnders.

“That you first have to go on loan and so on before you can get into the first team.

“If you see them after each session and how long they stay on the pitch – not just shooting on goal, crossing and heading and doing the nice things – they always challenge each other to become technically and tactically better.

“They are completely different players and personalities, but they define exactly our approach.

“Anfield is screaming out for young unpredictable players, who can open up games and speed up the tempo of the positional play. That’s a wonderful characteristic they both have in common.”

Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama has heaped praise on the influence of manager Mauricio Pochettino, claiming the Argentine is like a father figure to him.

The combative Kenyan signed for Spurs in the summer of 2016, and has established himself as a rock at the heart of the north Londoners’ engine room.

Wanyama has started all of Spurs’ Premier League games this season, and has helped them rise to second, behind only runaway leaders Chelsea.

Pochettino signed Wanyama from Celtic while Southampton boss in 2013, and the 25-year-old insists he has never had a manager so dedicated to improving players’ performances on and off the field.

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“He works on your weakness, he’s a good role model and he doesn’t just look at football, but life in general,” said Wanyama.

“We worked hard and after a while, you could see the difference because in the games I felt like the games were easier and we could run for 100 minutes because we were fitter. It worked well for us.

“He has improved my game in all aspects, everything. It’s not just football, in life as well I’ve learned a lot of things.

“He’s been able to teach me a lot inside and outside football, how to live with people, how to be humble.

“I’ve learned a lot of things through him and I don’t just see him as a manager but as a father figure.”

Burnley defender Michael Keane was satisfied with his international bow after turning out for England in their 1-0 loss to Germany on Wednesday.

Keane, 24, was named on the right hand side of a back three by manager Gareth Southgate, and produced an assured first display for the Three Lions, despite Lukas Podolski’s fine strike consigning England to defeat.

The former Manchester United youngster has been an ever present in Burnley’s Premier League season so far, with the Clarets 13^th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone.

And he said playing for his country was an experience that filled him with pride.

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“It was a brilliant experience for me, playing such a big game on my debut,” he added.

“I felt the team played really well. It’s game where we take our chances and it’s a different story.

“They go and score a worldy. It’s one of those things but there are a lot of positives to take and personally I was very proud and honoured to play for the country.

“I felt comfortable. I think had a good start and got a good few early passes away and that gave me the confidence.

“I am playing with a lot of experience around me and always talking to me and getting me in the right positions because I haven’t played three at the back for three years.”

Former Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate is thrilled to see Ben Gibson called-up to the England squad and admits he’s surprised it’s taken so long for him to receive the recognition.

It is  centre back Gibson’s first call-up to the senior squad and comes after an injury to Chris Smalling ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier with Lithuania.

Michael Keane made his England debut in defence against Germany in the week and Woodgate knows there is plenty of competition in the squad.

“I’m really pleased for him, he’s a lad who works really hard and he deserves it,” he said.

“He’s done really well and been the best player for us this season so he deserves it. I thought he’d have got the call earlier to be honest because he’s been doing really well.

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“There’s good competition in that area for centre-halves at the minute and Ben is right in there with a shout.

“Gareth (Southgate) has got some really good centre-halves to choose from. There are the two lads from Manchester United, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling and also John Stones who is outstanding.

“The boy (Michael) Keane is top drawer and Gary Cahill who’s top of the league. It’s difficult but another thing Ben has going for him is that he’s a left-footer, which is hard to come by.”

Former France and Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf praised N’Golo Kante’s attributes as a player but does not believe he has the capability to be a leader for club or country.

Kante has emerged as a key part of Chelsea’s midfield this season following his summer move from champions Leicester City.

But although Leboeuf believes he is crucial to the Blues’ title-winning bid, he does not think the Frenchman can lead a side.

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“The lad is vital to Chelsea, but he is not a boss as he is not a good talker,” said Leboeuf.

“You can sum him up in one sentence. He is the engine, but not the driver.

“Kante should clearly be in the France team, but I don’t think he has the spirit of a boss.

“He is an incredible soldier, and a warrior, but he has neither the personality nor the calibre of a leader. He is Mr Essential at Chelsea in among all their big stars.

“[Antonio] Conte relies on him, but he has never given Kante the role of a boss on the field.

“Kante doesn’t have a leader’s style of play. He is timid and lacks the necessary scope. He is not even a leader when it comes to skill.”

Versatility is a player’s best friend – that’s according to Manchester City star Fernandinho.

Traditionally a holding midfielder, Fernandinho has turned out at right-back, left-back and a more advanced midfield role for City this term.

The 31-year-old Brazilian has been comfortable in multiple positions since his junior days and believes that to find success, every squad needs players that can fulfil a variety of different responsibilities.

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Fernandinho said: “I believe that it’s important to have players who can adapt to different positions because sometimes we have weeks, like the one we ended up without two wingers due to injury.

“When you have players that are capable to play in those positions, that makes things easier for the manager.

“He can build up the team with a lot more flexibility and it is important to have such players in your team.

“I knew about these qualities because when I was 15 years old, I experienced playing in several positions and I always did quite well. I can adapt well in those functions.

“For me it was not a surprise and I hope to always be available to help the best way I can, in different positions, if necessary.”

Austrian defender Sebastian Prodl has urged his Watford team-mates to get back to “100 per cent” following the Hornets’ disappointing defeat to struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Watford are winless in their last four matches, and have slipped to 14^th in the Premier League table, six points above the relegation zone.

However, Walter Mazzarri’s men have back-to-back home games against Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion to come, and will be looking to put further daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

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Prodl also refused to blame skipper Troy Deeney, whose own goal was the difference between the sides as Palace battled to a 1-0 win.

“These things can happen [the own-goal],” said Prodl. “It’s an unlucky situation but it’s not the reason we lost.

“We didn’t create enough chances and it wasn’t our best performance. Both teams defended well and it was a game of not many chances.

“I always felt it was going to be a close result and in the end it was.

“We’re facing a bit of trouble now so we have to face reality and be alert.

“We didn’t get the results we wanted over the last few weeks, but we have two home games next.

“We need to get back to our 100 per cent and get some points.”

Gareth Barry believes Ross Barkley is ideally placed to continue his impressive form and establish himself as one of the country’s top players.

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has been in fine fettle since the turn of the year, and was rewarded with a call-up to the England squad for the first time since Euro 2016 for their matches against Germany and Lithuania.

And fellow midfielder Barry, 36, believes Barkley’s bosses for club and country, Ronald Koeman and Gareth Southgate, are the perfect pairing to push the mercurial Evertonian on to the next level.

Barry was a young player at Aston Villa after joining as a trainee in 1997, when Southgate was a senior pro, and played alongside him for four years.

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“Gareth Southgate understands the game, he understands the personalities, which is just as important, and Ross will need talking to like Koeman has done with him this season,” said Barry.

“Koeman seems to have kicked his game on another level. The manager here deserves a lot of credit for that and I’m sure Southgate can do the same.

“I’ve only got massive words and high regard for Gareth Southgate. I was delighted when he was announced as England manager.

“I know he’s been working hard since he finished playing football with his coaching. He had a lot of respect, he’s worked his way up and for me he was the right man for the job.

“He comes across as a really nice guy but he’s got a ruthless streak when it’s needed so that’s a good trait to have.”

Turn the clock back three years, and you’d have found Swansea City’s Alfie Mawson on a fruit and veg stall in the heart of Ealing, London.

It’s a moment that the central defender still feels is yesterday, but that hasn’t stopped him relishing every moment on the pitch – making his mark for both club and country.

The youngster is hoping to set his stall back in the England U21 setup this weekend, with the Young Lions set to face Germany and Denmark in friendly matches, a double-header Mawson expects to be involved in.

Enjoying a breakthrough season with the Swans, the 23-year-old has made 25 appearances and scored six goals so far this term, a far cry from his days of loan spells with non-league outfits Luton Town and Welling.

But despite his meteoric rise through the ranks, via the likes of Wycombe and Barnsley, the defender is keeping a rather level-headed approach to his rise up the football pyramid, still insisting he is exactly the same person he was all those years ago.

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“Three years ago I was playing non-league football. Now I’m playing for my country at U21 level and for Swansea in the Premier League. Things like that don’t tend to happen to people like me,” he said.

“I was working on my dad’s fruit and veg stall not so long ago. My best mate was also involved too. It still feels like yesterday.

“I used to sell lychees with my mate, and we used to have great fun. My dad still goes on about the day when I sold 250 small boxes of lychees when I was 14.

“It taught me a lot though. One of the most important things to me is manners. Saying thank you, please or just holding a door open for someone – it’s a simple thing.

“Being a footballer in the Premier League shouldn’t change you.

“To be honest, I still haven’t got used to people asking me to sign something. I haven’t got my head around it because, to me, I’m still the little Alfie from West London who worked on his dad’s fruit and veg stall in Ealing.”

Team bonding is crucial to a cohesive performance on the pitch, and Bournemouth’s players ensured no stone would be left unturned in the pursuit of a winning end to the Premier League season with a go-karting trip in Dubai.

The Cherries, in the UAE for a training camp during the international break, hit the track at the Dubai Kartdrome following a tough morning of training in the heat.

The inaugural Cherries World Championship saw Junior Stanislas, Charlie Daniels and Dan Gosling among the favourites to cross the line in first place – with manager Eddie Howe also hot on their heels.

In the end, it was midfielder Gosling who emerged victorious, but while their exploits on the track may have looked like a bit of mid-season fun, teammate Stanislas was quick to point out the true purpose.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“Doing a group activity like this is part of the reason we came out here, to help us bond,” he said.

“It’s competitive at the same time and there are some of us hoping to be winners, I’m racing in the final and I want to win it.

“Dan Gosling was about a millisecond quicker than me in the qualifying laps but I’m quicker than everyone else.

“We’re a competitive bunch, the gaffer’s also a strong contender. He won one of his races so we definitely can’t let him win.

“We’re competitive and all want to win ourselves. We won’t be letting anyone win, that’s for sure!”