He was the personal training partner for Wayne Rooney in his return from injury and now former Liverpool and Manchester United youth goalkeeper Liam Jacob is being courted by A-League clubs.
He was the personal training partner for Wayne Rooney in his return from injury and now former Liverpool and Manchester United youth goalkeeper Liam Jacob is being courted by A-League clubs.
Jacob has returned to Australia where he has set up trials with both the Western Sydney Wanderers and Melbourne Victory.
Still only 18, the Sydney native has had a lifetime of footballing experiences since he moved to England in 2009 with his family and would undoubtedly have a lot to offer the A-League.
“Being at Manchester United and Liverpool was an amazing experience,” said Jacob.
“The education they provide is second to none and you just soak up so much when you are there.”
While there is always conjecture on whether young Australian players should depart overseas, Jacob believes it was extremely beneficial to his development as a player.
“Playing over there at a young age ensured I didn-t develop any bad habits.
“Especially at Manchester United they have a very set teaching technique that goes through every little detail and ensures you are always continuing to develop.”
Recognised as a strong youth player on the way up at United, Jacob was entrusted with some important duties while he was at the club.
“I trained with the first team often when I was at United which exposes you to the calibre of play that you need to be up to.
“I was involved with training matches and drills and when Wayne Rooney was coming back from injury would regularly have one-on-one sessions with him which was an amazing experience.”
After his time at United the 18-year-old went searching for first team football and ended up at League One side Oldham Athletic.
“I moved to the side as there was a lot of opportunity at the club at the time.
“The manager was former Man City player Paul Dickov and the goalkeeper coach was former Everton player Paul Gerrard so I knew I was still going to be coached at the highest level.
“It was also like a home away from home with other Aussies Alex Cisak and Dean Bouzanis also both at the club at the time.”
Jacob headed back from England in search of a spot on an A-League roster for the 2013-14 season after only making one appearance for Oldham in the 2012-13 season,
“I have always followed the A-League when I was growing up and I think it would be a great opportunity for me to involved in the league.
“It has been really exciting to have seen just how far it has come.”
HIs first port of call was at the Western Sydney Wanderers where he spent a week training under the guidance of the 2012-13 Hyundai A-League coach of the year.
“It was great training with Tony Popovic who I believe is a very smart coach that has learnt a lot from his experiences playing overseas. Goalkeeper coach Ron Corrie was also great.
“The club has a style that I am very familiar with and I really enjoyed my time there.
“The Wanderers said that they interested in taking me on and we are currently still in talks with them.”
Having already booked in with the Melbourne Victory for another trial, Jacob began his week-long stint today.
“The Victory are another very professional club with some great facilities.
“Their training style is very different to the Wanderers but also set very high standards.”
Long time coach Jim Fraser is confident that Jacob will excel in Australia if given the opportunity.
“I think he has a great chance to make it at an A-League club,” said Fraser.
“He has great hands, has the height and is a great athlete. With all his experience I think he has what it takes to play at the professional level in Australia.”