Liverpool have announced that under-18s manager Marc Bridge-Wilkinson will step down from his role at the club at the end of the season, ending his 10-year association with the Reds.
Bridge-Wilkinson, who has 400 appearances in the Football League, first arrived at the Reds’ academy in 2015 to take charge of the club’s U14s before being promoted to the U16s in 2018.
In 2020 he then assumed the role of U18s manager, taking over from current U21s boss Barry Lewtas, where he has remained until a decision was made on his future this year.
Liverpool’s statement read that he “will step down,” with the Times‘ Paul Joyce adding on X that it was “his decision” that the club “reluctantly accepted.”
The 46-year-old has played a key role in the development of notable academy graduates, including Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah, Tyler Morton, Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas and more.
His exit, however, coincides with a significant drop-off in performances and results for the U18s, who have won just one of their last 10 league games, conceding five or more goals in four of them.
The young Reds sit 12th out of 13 teams in the U18 Premier League North table in what has been a disappointing season of struggle across all levels of the club’s academy.
An overhaul would not come as a surprise in the summer with the U18s role potentially one of a handful that will be subject to change for the 2025/26 season.
On his departure at the end of the season, Bridge-Wilkinson told the club’s website: “It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since I joined LFC but now it is time to move on to a new challenge.
“The Academy is a special place and it’s been an absolute pleasure to be part of the team for the past decade.
“I’d like to thank Alex Inglethorpe and Nick Marshall for giving me the opportunity and placing faith in me to move up through the age groups.
“A massive thank you, too, to all the coaching staff and the support team – being a part of players’ journeys at such an important stage of their development is a huge privilege and I’ll continue to follow their careers closely.”
During his time at the club, Bridge-Wilkinson led his U18s side to the 2020/21 FA Youth Cup final, which they unfortunately lost 2-1 to Aston Villa – his squad that day included Bradley, Quansah, Morton and Stefan Bajcetic.
