'Big shoes to fill' - Barry Lewtas ready to follow in Steven Gerrard's footsteps with Liverpool's U-18 side

The text was as welcome as it was unexpected.

As Barry Lewtas prepared for his first competitive game as manager of Liverpool’s U-18 side, his predecessor in the role found time to send over a good luck message.

Steven Gerrard may have moved on, but his investment in Liverpool remains strong.

“He sent a text saying ‘best of luck, please pass on my best wishes to the lads’” Lewtas says. The following day, Liverpool stuffed Sunderland 6-1. The perfect start.

For Lewtas, who was born and raised in Fazakerley and went to school a few hundred yards from the Reds’ Academy base in Kirkby, the opportunity to step up to the U-18s, and into Gerrard’s shoes, was one that was too good to pass up – even if some might be daunted by the idea of following a club legend.

“I can safely say I wasn’t as good a player as him!” Lewtas jokes, before praising the work Gerrard did as U-18s manager before leaving for Rangers.

“Steven did a fantastic job last year. The style of football they played was great to watch and it was good to be around.  The U-16s and U-18s follow suit so wherever they went, we went.

“I wasn't in it but I was around it in terms of the travel and being around the dressing room before and after games. You are quite close-knit and towards the back end of the season Steven used quite a few of the under-16s.

“Of course they are huge boots to fill. Firstly, because of who he is but also because he proved himself to be a top quality coach. He did a really good job. I am never going to match his reputation. He put a real good stamp on the team and I need to ensure that I do the same.”

Lewtas brings with him a stellar reputation in youth coaching, forged during spells at Wigan and Bolton - where Nathaniel Phillips was a part of his U-14 side - as well as in five years working at Liverpool’s Academy. His work there, with teams from U-10s through to U-16s, convinced Alex Inglethorpe, the Academy director, that he was the man to succeed Gerrard.

He and his staff - analyst/coach Scott Mason, goalkeeping coach Neil 'Taff' Edwards and fitness coach John Hill - will work closely with Inglethorpe, who is set to take a more hands-on role this season following a streamlining of Academy staff. The task is the same; to continue developing players that can become professional footballers, whether at Liverpool or elsewhere.

“I am really enjoying it,” Lewtas says, reflecting on his first weeks in the role. “Obviously it helps that I've worked with a lot of the lads before. I know them well, they know me and know what gets on my nerves! Having relationships like that already helps. 

“I'm well aware that the level does go up. What was maybe okay out on the back pitch at U-16s last season, those boys are really going to have to raise the bar in the U-18s. They are under no illusions.

“I certainly wouldn't say it's a case of just carrying on doing the same, we've had to crank it up. The first year scholars would be the first to admit that it's been tough physically. They are full-time now so they are training more often and have gym sessions in the afternoons.  They are here all day so it is tougher for them.”

Different, too, for Lewtas, who began his coaching career as a way of making extra money whilst studying for a degree in sports science. Initially, he juggled the demands with a job as a teacher, and played local amateur football of a weekend.

“I needed to pay my way,” he says, matter of factly. “A friend of mine was getting into coaching and I started doing my badges too. It went on from there.

“I was doing soccer schools and then I was fortunate enough to get a role at Wigan. As soon as I got in there I realised this was something I wanted to do, more so than kick a ball around.

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“It kind of snowballed.  I spent five or six years at Wigan, five or six years at Bolton and then I came here in 2013. It was when the current first years (in the U-18s) were U-12s.

“I was working with the U-12s initially and then it was full-time looking after the 10s, 11s and 12s. Then I moved into the 15s and then the 16s. Now this.

“It's been good. Every move has been a step up. It's been a long journey, no wonder my hair has gone! But I certainly feel like I'm ready for this opportunity.”

Lewtas expresses pride at the way Curtis Jones – whom he worked with at U-15 level – has played his way to the fringes of Jurgen Klopp’s senior setup in recent months. Jones, born in 2001, is still eligible for the U-18s, but we won’t be seeing him there this season. He is on the fast-track.

On their own trip to Budapest, Lewtas and his players stayed up to watch Jones – and fellow graduates Rafa Camacho, Ben Woodburn and Nat Phillips – perform on Liverpool’s tour of America last month. Inspirational stuff, for wide-eyed teenagers hoping for similar progress.

“It was great for Curt,” he says. “He's been given an opportunity. He's gone up there, he's got to travel and he's got to learn a bit more about what's required at that level.

“He's a cracking kid. I've known Curtis a long time and worked with him at under-15 level. It's nice when you see kids grow up and flourish, and it was really pleasing to watch him in pre-season.  

“He's had a fantastic experience this summer but he would be the first to say that it's just a start.  Now he's had a smell of it, he will be really keen to push on and impress over the course of this season.”

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And in the team Jones has left behind, there is still plenty of talent to get excited. Paul Glatzel, a Wigan-born striker with a German passport, has been captaining the side so far and scoring goals in the process, while England youth striker Bobby Duncan, a summer signing from Manchester City, has settled in seamlessly. Duncan, of course, is the cousin of a certain Steven Gerrard.

“There's no fanfare around him, he's just another one of the lads,” Lewtas says.

“Bobby has done well at Academy level and has scored goals. He will be keen to pass the next test of his development which is U-18s level and work as hard as he can to get to the U-23s. 

“We are really excited to have him here. He's really added to the group - both on and off the pitch. It's important for him to knuckle down and we'll see where he goes from there.”

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On Saturday comes the U-18s’ latest test, a first home game of the season at Kirkby against Manchester United. Whatever the level, it’s one to look forward to.

“It's a brilliant first home game,” Lewtas says. “There's always a buzz when you play United - even if it's at U-9s, it's special.

“The lads are really excited. We've had a good pre-season and we played some really good stuff against Sunderland so it's important we carry that on.  I'm excited. It's a tough one picking a team but we'll be ready for it.”

For Lewtas, that’s what it’s all about; being ready. He may be stepping into big boots, but Gerrard’s successor is up for the challenge.