Young Reds arrive in Malaysia
Liverpool FC's U17 squad today landed in Malaysia ahead of an eight-day tour of the Far East.
The travelling party - 14 outfield players and two goalkeepers - left the Academy on New Year's Day and arrived in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon, local time.
The trip will see the young Reds play two matches as a curtain raiser for the 2014 Frenz International Cup U17 tournament, which kicks off later this month.
Liverpool will open the prelude to the Frenz International Cup at 8.45pm on Saturday, January 4, with a match against Frenz United Malaysia at the Selayang Stadium. Entry to the stadium is free for spectators with the game also being broadcast live on national TV in Malaysia.
The young Reds will then fly to Indonesia to play Frenz United Indonesia in Jogjakarta on Wednesday, January 8 at the Sultan Agung Stadium. Kick-off for the game in Indonesia - which will be broadcast live on LFC TV - is scheduled for 8.30pm (local time).
"This is the furthest we've ever travelled with the U17 team," lead coach Des Maher told Liverpoolfc.com. "We've played in the Middle East a few times, but this will be the first time in Asia for the majority of boys in this age group.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for them to continue their football development on and off the pitch. On the pitch, the boys will need to adjust very quickly to the climate, the pitches, the late kick-off times and, obviously, the opposition they'll come up against.
"We're not quite sure how big the crowds will be but obviously that will be another new experience for them as well as having the game broadcast on television. Most of these boys won't have played in a game that has been shown live on television so, again, this is something new for them to have to deal with.
"Off the pitch, there's all the travelling involved, meeting people from different cultures and with the games kicking off later, there's more downtime for them to have to deal with. They'll need to adjust to having more rest time but remaining focused.
"We're very keen on individual player development at the Academy so whilst all the boys need to learn how to play as part of a team, each player will have their own carefully developed objectives on this trip and we'll be monitoring their progress very carefully."
Fans in Malaysia can follow the progress of the U17s' visit via Twitter at @MalaysiaLFC.