Liverpool appoint Gary O'Neil as new assistant coach of under-23 side

Liverpool on Monday appointed former England midfielder Gary O'Neil as new assistant coach of the Under-23 side.

O'Neil had played in the Premier League for clubs including Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and West Ham United, while his final season as a player saw him named Bolton Wanderers' Player of the Year in the Championship in 2018-19.

"A serious Achilles injury saw the 37-year-old enter semi-retirement from playing and he now embarks on his coaching career at the Reds' Academy as U23s boss Barry Lewtas' assistant," the Reds said in a statement.

"I'm really excited. I've been desperate to get going. It's been going on for a little while and obviously, with the break and the Academy having to take an even longer break than the first team, I've had to wait a little while, but now it's finally come around and I'm really excited and can't wait to get going," O'Neil told Liverpool's official website.

O'Neil is looking forward to forming a strong partnership with Lewtas, who was promoted to the U23s coach in May after two impressive seasons with the U18s.

"Barry is great. He has got a wealth of experience of working with the boys. Obviously he's come through a lot of the age groups with the lads as well, so he knows them very well," he said.

"That will be handy because there's two ways of looking at it: I'm getting to see them with a fresh set of eyes, which can be useful as well, but Barry offers a wealth of experience and obviously I'm new into coaching," O'Neil added.

Academy manager Alex Inglethorpe said: "Gary's knowledge, experience and passion for the game will help not only the players that he works with but also the staff as well."

( With inputs from ANI )