Benitez wants to produce local team of Carraghers

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez would love to produce a “team of Carraghers” from his youth set-up.

The Kop sing that exact song in honour of their local hero Jamie, and Benitez wants to achieve just that.

Now Benitez has challenged Liverpool’s youngsters to make the breakthrough into the senior squad, while admitting he aims to make it harder than ever for them to achieve their dreams.

The Liverpool boss will be at Anfield tonight to witness the FA Youth Cup final first-leg against Man Utd, with his youngsters aiming to become only the fifth club to retain the trophy in its 54-year history.

And Benitez, flush with a massive summer budget, admits he will continue to bring in top European stars, knowing that will make progression for the youngsters even harder.

But he accepts that from this latest crop of bright stars, if just one makes it through to follow Carragher and Steven Gerrard’s footsteps, he will be delighted.

He says: “It is normal at top clubs for it to be more difficult for youngsters to get through because of the players that are bought for the senior squad. It was the same when I was at Real Madrid, it is the same with big clubs in England. I have known senior squads at Madrid with 40 players, and of that maybe 14 were from the academy. That is success, that is what means an academy is successful.

“But one each year would be fine. Maybe one Jamie Carragher each year, maybe one Steven Gerrard,” he added.

“It could take five years, but you have a diamond to work with. You can then do something if you have the talent, you can see it grow.

“But if I could find one Carra every year, and then you will see in five years maybe five Carras. Think of the money you would save with a team of Carraghers.”

Benitez added: “If you are thinking to win trophies then you must work with the best players. If they are local like Gerrard and Carragher, that is perfect.

“They have passion and love for the club. But if you cannot find them or they are not there, then you must bring in players.”

Alex Ferguson has tipped Manchester United to beat Liverpool in tonight’s televised FA Youth Cup final.

“They are a capable bunch and I think they will get a result,” said Ferguson. “At the start of the season I could not see the possibility of them winning the Youth Cup. But by the end of November they started to see some physical progress in the likes of James Chester, Danny Drinkwater and Sam Hewson.”

Given the defensive crisis affecting United at senior level, Ferguson must decide whether to take a chance on releasing Belfast-born Craig Cathcart for tonight’s first-leg at Anfield.

Cathcart was on the bench for Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final and it would only take one more injury for the 18-year-old to be handed his first-team bow.

“If it gets anywhere near the Arsenal game it will be a fantastic contest,” said Ferguson.

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