Three senior Liverpool players spotted working towards UEFA coaching badges

Three senior Liverpool players, including forward Diogo Jota, have been spotted working towards their UEFA coaching badges at the club's training centre.

The Reds have provided a pathway in the past for players to work towards becoming coaches while still on the books at Anfield, including Steven Gerrard, Adam Lallana and James Milner.

The latter of those names previously declared his wish to continue his coaching work if he were to stay at Liverpool next season, but the 37-year-old will be released at the end of his contract this month.

There are four UEFA licences available, ranging from C, B, A and the Pro Licence.

Managers who wish to take charge of a Premier League club must possess a Pro Licence, with the module taking around 18 months to fully complete in order to gain the qualification.

But coaches must work up from the C Licence - and three Liverpool players have already started their journey.

Liverpool players take coaching badges

As reported by the Liverpool Echo, Jota was joined by team-mates Fabinho and Joel Matip at the club's AXA Training Centre to deliver a coaching session to members of the Robbie Fowler Academy.

The session took place prior to Liverpool's final Premier League game of the season last Sunday, a 4-4 draw at Southampton. Jota started the game and scored twice.

Founded in 2015, the Academy helps to produce the next generation of talent in Liverpool, and its head coach, Carl Macauley, worked with Reds academy graduate Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Fowler and Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, agreed to buy Liverpool's former training ground, Melwood, in 2021 to 'create a pathway for people interested in making a career in the sports industry'.

Should Jota, Fabinho and Matip achieve their coaching badges, they could go on to join the raft of former Liverpool stars that have gone into club management.

This is Anfield claimed in July that 29 ex-Reds players were recorded to be in management at the time, including Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso, Gerrard and Paul Ince.

Gerrard and Ince, however, have both been sacked from Aston Villa respectively since then, and are currently out of work.