Jarell Quansah made to sign strict 'car clause' in Liverpool contract that all youngsters must agree to

Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe has revealed that the club's young players are made to sign an unusual 'car clause' to help keep their feet on the ground.

Jarell Quansash is the latest name to have made the jump up to the first team from Liverpool's academy this season.

The 20-year-old defender scored his first goal for the club during the Reds' 2-1 defeat to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Europa League earlier this month.

Meanwhile, he showcased his elite mentality in his post-match press conference, brutally claiming that teammate Joel Matip's recent ACL injury had gone in his favour.

However, to help keep Quansah and the rest of Liverpool's younger players grounded, the club have a strict car clause inserted into their contracts which prevents them from driving flashy vehicles to the training ground.

In a fascinating interview with the We Are Liverpool podcast, Inglethorpe expressed his concerns over the pressure placed on young players in the modern game.

"There's a balance, so what we now do is that the players sign up to a car clause. You don't want them driving in with a Range Rover," he explained.

"The reason you don't want them driving in with something which is too big, too grand, too much of a statement is because it's not just the manager and staff that might have an opinion on you but it's the senior players.

"I'm not sure that James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Andy Robertson, the first cars they drove, there would've been an element of humility and I use it in a presentation with the boys.

"You can't go into a race you're never going to win, I don't mean with the car, I mean with life, you can't think 'I am a first-team player because I have a better car'.

"We could afford to pay them more but we don't because I don't think that would be right, there's something around deferred gratification than instant, you should earn it a little bit and the players know if we don't approve of their car, they can park it in the David Lloyd [Gym] car park but it won't be in the Academy.

"I don't want to be an idiot about it but I don't want them to work 10 years for an audition and fail it before they've even set foot on the pitches.

"I want them to be safe, there are plenty of choices around safety [with cars], you're a young player in charge of two tonnes of metal, you've got to make sure that you take care of that responsibility."

Inglethorpe also believes social media has been a catalyst in increasing the pressure on young footballers to present themselves in a particular way.

"I just think it's important, there is a little bit more about image with Instagram or TikTok or how many followers you've got, it's very easy for a young child to get wrapped up in the image of how you look or trying to keep up with a lifestyle that you have to and it's a race you can't win," he added.

"There's got to be an inner-confidence about how you are and I worry sometimes about the pressures of a young person now where their life is Instagram perfect."