'I'm very grateful to be U23s captain - it has helped me a lot'
Liam Millar is enjoying the added responsibility of wearing the captain's armband for Liverpool U23s so far this season - and believes his game has flourished as a result.
The Canada international made his first-team debut for the Reds in February, following a loan spell with Kilmarnock in Scotland.
Millar was part of the youthful side, managed by Neil Critchley, that defeated Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup on a memorable night at Anfield.
This term, U23s boss Barry Lewtas handed the 21-year-old the role of skipper, and Millar has been a consistent performer in the team.
We caught up with the forward ahead of the U23s' final fixture of 2020, with Tottenham Hotspur to visit the Academy in Premier League 2 on Saturday.
Read the chat below...
On the season so far on a personal level and getting the U23s captain's armband…
Very happy. I think I've played quite well this season. I've adapted into my new role as a captain and I'm learning on how not to just focus on myself but focus on the team. Sometimes as a player you do get kind of self-focused and how you are playing. Now, with me being a captain I've started to realise that obviously there is more to the game than just me. I need to keep playing well and do what I've got to do to try to help in that kind of way. I used to think that the captain was there to motivate us when we are down and pick us up, but now being captain I've realised that it's not just at certain parts of a game you have to be a leader, it's during the whole game. For me, I do talk a bit but I'm not the most vocal leader like Jordan Henderson, who is constantly talking. I try more to lead by example, whether that is by pressing for the team, running with the ball and trying to create something.
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On how much he has enjoyed the extra responsibility…
I've always wanted to be a captain. For me, my goal one day is to hopefully captain my team and Canada as international football is very important to me as well. I'm very happy and grateful to Barry for giving me this opportunity to learn how to do it because I've always needed that opportunity. I've been vice-captain for Canada U21s but have never got the opportunity before to be a captain. The fact that Barry has given me this opportunity has given me the opportunity to understand the game more and it's kind of in ways made me play better. I feel like I've taken on that leadership role and when we are not playing well I always think maybe I need to step it up a bit here, then if I can do that the whole team will step up. I think having the captaincy has helped me in a lot of ways. Sometimes when we are losing I try too hard and Barry has pulled me up on it but it's just the kind of guy I am. I don't ever want to lose and try to do whatever I can to help the team win. Like I said before, it's not about me, it's about the whole team and I can't do it on my own.
On putting in extra work on his finishing in training sessions with Gary O'Neil…
I've been working really hard on cutting inside and scoring because for me that's a big part of my game. I love getting the ball on the wing and I'll either go on the outside and cross it or cut inside and get an effort in at goal. I feel that a lot of the time for me in the past when I've cut inside and had a shot I wouldn't connect cleanly or shoot over the bar. I feel like I'm getting better connections, really improving and it's something I need to keep working on. Gary has been really good with me. It's great to have an ex-player to work with and he has been helping me working on my finishing and cutting inside. I love working with Barry and Gary because I feel like they both understand what I need and what kind of player I am.
On the importance of having a winning mentality at youth level…
It's so important, especially when we play for a team like Liverpool, because as you can see from the first team last season they won the Premier League and the season before they won the Champions League. I think that we need to get used to winning if we want to be involved in that team because we need to have that taste of winning. Sometimes you need to really dig in to win the game. You need to get used to winning and know what winning is like. Our goal is to try to win Premier League 2, which I believe is something we can do and are more than capable of doing it, but we know development is also so important.
On moving into the new training facilities at the AXA Training Centre…
It's great. Obviously, the Academy is a great place too. When we were at the Academy we were the most senior players there and we had responsibility to set a good example to the younger players because we were always around them. Now we are around the first team we can learn off them and it's also a bonus because the manager and Pep [Lijnders] will come and watch us train and they can see what we are like in training, so I think it's a great thing that they have brought us all together so coaches can see you and see what we are like.