KD: Why starlets are still winners
Kenny Dalglish believes the progression of youngsters into Liverpool's first-team set-up is the biggest prize the Academy could have achieved this season.
The U18s' hopes of claiming the Group C title came unstuck against Wolves earlier today - but the boss has been quick to highlight the positives that can be taken from a campaign that has seen the likes of John Flanagan and Jack Robinson feature in the Barclays Premier League.
Dalglish told his pre-match press conference: "Our U18s have played today and drawn 2-2. They finished second in the league when they had an opportunity to get first.
"I suppose you could say we can take the blame because we took Flanagan and Robinson away from them. So we've weakened them and three of them are also away with England U17s.
"For us that is more progress than it would be to have won the league and get no players through.
"I don't see it being any different for anyone else."
Dalglish was also asked about Andy Carroll's inclusion in England U21s' 40-man squad ahead of this summer's European Championships.
He added: "There's no definitive decision on whether he is going to go. He's in a 40-man squad.
"There's nothing for us to really get involved in until it is definitive that he will go.
"For me, the benefit of having younger teams is to use them to progress players into the full team. It's exactly the same at club level as it at international level.
"Andy has played a number of games for the U21s and I think it's nine for the U19s, so he's played a few. He's now played in the full international team so it's served its purpose in his development.
"That's what we do at club level.
"I think the important thing is to get people progressing through it."
Click on the play button below to watch Kenny's press conference
