The Lad Can Play: Martin Kelly

There is something of a debate going on at the moment about the merits, or lack thereof, of Liverpool's academy.
Ten years ago, when the academy was set up, it was impossible to imagine it as being anything other than a success.
How could it be otherwise for the club that had seen the emergence of a raft of world class playes in the form of Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard?
But instead the only real graduate of the academy to come through has been Danny Guthrie and even he barely played for Liverpool.

True it has produced two FA Youth Cup winning sides but the majority of the players who played in those triumphs have already been let go. Only a couple - Jay Spearing and Stephen Darby - have progressed as far as the reserves and , even so, both are struggling to make any headway in the first team.

The cause for that depends on which side of the debate you happn to stand. For some, it is all down to the lack of quality coming through whilst for others the result of the internal bickering that has led to the reserves being transformed into a mini-academy by Benitez.

Both points of view have their merits. Whereas the number of young, largely foreign, players that have been imposed on the reserves has to be demoralising for those at the academy, none of the players that have been let go have really gone on to prove Bennitez wrong.

Whatever the reason, something somewhere isn't working.

Yet it isn't all bad. During last week's Champions League game with Marseilles, the Liverpool bench features Martin Kelly. Cynics might say that his inclusion was purely down to UEFA's home grown players ruling but the defender's progression has beens such that there is genuine belief about his chances of breaking through.

Such belief is based on a series of impeccable displays for the reserves where, despite the presence of a number of players brought in by Benitez, Kelly has managed to cut out a space for himself.

This either in his prefered position at the centre of defence or else at right back. Indeed, as you might expect of a player who used to wear a shirt bearing Carragher's name at the back, Kelly can play in any position across the back four.

Even the manner in which he approaches games seems to have been modelled on his hero's where he uses his physical presence to good effect. That said, in all fairness there is a bit more class to Kelly's game and the young defender always seems to be in control of the situation.

All of which bodes well for the defender who was forced to sit out almost two years of his time at the academy because of a series of injuries. Perhaps he could be the one to finally show that the academy is producing players and that, if they're good enough they will get their opportunity.

Interested in reading more about Liverpool's young players? Find many more profiles here.