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IT was the kind of performance of which Kenny Dalglish himself would have been proud.

The Liverpool manager once presided over a 9-0 Anfield win of his own, but on Monday he was merely an interested, and probably very excited, spectator, as Rodolfo Borrell’s young Reds gave a masterclass to a shell-shocked Southend United in front of an incredulous Kop. Quick, fluid, passing, controlled aggression and ruthless finishing were the hallmarks of all the great Liverpool sides, especially the ones Dalglish played in or managed, and Borrell’s youngsters certainly maintained the tradition.

Dalglish’s style has always been to prioritise the collective above the individual, but Raheem Sterling, a diminutive winger with devastating pace and a sublime touch, was the undoubted star of the show. The former-QPR wide-man, who only turned 16 in December, bagged five goals, with Conor Coady, Adam Morgan, Stephen Sama and Toni Silva completing the scoring.

Borrell, naturally, was quick to dampen the hype surrounding his high-fliers.

The Spaniard spent 14 years at Barcelona’s fabled La Masia youth complex, and has worked with the likes of Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Bojan Krkic. In short, he knows a thing or two about what is needed for talented youngsters to become serious footballers.

Urging Sterling to add some “humility” and improve the defensive side of the game, Borrell said: “We must protect him; it is too soon to think this player is a star”.

Nonetheless, Sterling’s virtuoso display was enough to convince Dalglish to include him – along with Coady and fellow academy graduates John Flanagan, Jack Robinson and Thomas Ince – in the Reds’ squad for Thursday’s Europa League game with Sparta Prague.

None of the quintet featured in the Czech Republic, but with the likes of Danny Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey, Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and Dani Pacheco already ensconced within the first-team party, Liverpool’s squad has had a regular and growing smattering of youth all season. Dalglish was the club’s Youth Ambassador, and involved heavily with the academy before answering the managerial call last month. He knows exactly how much talent there is beyond the first team pool, and seems fully prepared to dip into it when required.

And in Borrell, along with technical director Pep Segura – another former Barcelona coach – and academy director Frank McParland, Liverpool at last appear to have a solid structure, and coaches who understand the need to create a youth-system of substance, identity and consistency.

The club, with former star Steve Heighway at the helm, may have produced the likes of Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard during a golden 10- year spell, but the production line has dried up since.

The Reds were FA Youth Cup winners in both 2006 and 2007, but no player from either of those sides has made more than 10 league appearances for the club. Though the likes of Adam Hammill, Paul Anderson, Jack Hobbs and Robbie Threlfall have all found their respective levels within the professional game, none were considered good enough for Liverpool’s.

The subject of ‘identity’ is a tad more complex. For years Liverpool have prided themselves on the ‘pass and move’ style by which Bill Shankly swore. “The Liverpool Way” extends to matters off the field too, but with stakes high, results imperative and money long having flooded the English game, there is too often a lack of patience when it comes to developing footballers.

Former Reds boss Rafael Benitez strived to change that, overseeing a major shake-up at Kirkby during his final 18 months in charge, and bringing in Dalglish, Borrell, McParland and Segura. The Spaniard may never have felt the fruits of his labour, but his legacy could well be lasting. Liverpool had a handful of youth internationals within their academy when he arrived in 2004, now they have almost 30.

Spanish champions Barcelona are perhaps the world’s barometer for youth development, but their approach has been cultivated over the last 30 years; it cannot simply be replicated overnight.

Speaking to the media last week Xavi, the heartbeat of Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking side revealed the mentality which permeates the Catalan giants’ youth set-up.

“Some youth academies worry about winning, we worry about education,” said Xavi, “You see a kid who lifts his head up, who plays the pass first time, pum, and you think, 'Yep, he'll do.' Bring him in, coach him.

“Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every single day.”

Liverpool, along with every other club in world football, have some way to go to emulate the work of La Masia. Not that that should be an ambition, according to Borrell though. “We do not need to copy Barcelona,” he says.

“Liverpool is too big to copy other sides. We can have our own vision, and we have to.”

Wise words indeed, and if the likes of Sterling, Coady and co can deliver on their initial promise, and if Borrell, McParland and the academy recruitment team can continue to unearth young gems, the future will look a whole lot rosier at Anfield.