'NextGen bridges the gap'
NextGen Series football is the ideal preparation for the first team according to Frank McParland, who has emphasised the positives of the Reds participating in the competition.
Liverpool's youngsters kick off their 2012-13 campaign at reigning champions Inter Milan on Wednesday, the first match in a group which also includes Borussia Dortmund and Rosenborg.
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An impressive third-place finish in the tournament last season helped several members of the youth squad catch the eye of Brendan Rodgers and the starlets could feature for the first team against Young Boys in the Europa League on Thursday.
The players' personal gain is McParland's collective loss, but the Academy director is delighted to watch his charges take the next step in their career at Anfield.
"Our primary objective is to get players through into the first team so it's brilliant that so many of the lads will be part of the Europa League squad," The Reds' director of player development/Academy manager told the Liverpool Echo.
"I guess we're victims of our own success in many ways. The NextGen has been brilliant in helping to bridge that gap between youth and senior football. It's been massive for their development.
"The likes of Conor [Coady], Andre [Wisdom], Suso and Adam [Morgan] benefited a lot from playing for us in it last season. That experience of European away trips with the travel and all the preparation will stand them in good stead this week.
"As well as missing those lads, obviously we're also without Raheem Sterling, Jon Flanagan and Jack Robinson, who have already made the step up.
"Raheem is actually eligible to play in the NextGen for the next two seasons but he's done so well he's a first-team regular now."
Now in its second season, the fledgling NextGen event is taken seriously by the top clubs of Europe, with the number of teams entering increased from 16 to 24 this year and the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Juventus also competing.
McParland was effusive in his praise for the tournament, arguing that the strength and variety of teams taking part provides the perfect learning curve for his youngsters.
He added: "We were the first to sign up for it last year because we could see the benefits. It pits the best against the best. They play against players from different cultures and are up against different systems and formations.
"It has really gone from strength to strength with more clubs entering. We've got a really tough group and Milan have got a very good side but we're looking forward to seeing how our youngsters compete.
"It definitely spurs them all on seeing the other lads who have made that step up to our first-team squad. Our task is to try to ensure they follow in their footsteps."