Rob Page Confirmed as Liverpool U21 Coach, Replacing Longstanding Barry Lewtas | OneFootball

In some ways, the people behind the scenes at Liverpool often go entirely unnoticed. In others, they are amongst the most heavily scrutinised in the sport, given the manner in which supporters look at every aspect of the club’s workings.

Barry Lewtas was a popular figure at the club, arriving in 2003 after previously having worked with Wigan Athletic. When the Reds won the Premier League at the end of the 2024-2025 campaign, they had seen more minutes played by homegrown Academy players than any other team, which is testament to Lewtas. Having stood down from the role, Liverpool have confirmed that Rob Page will replace him.

Who is Rob Page?

Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Born on the third of September 1974 in the Welsh village of Llwynypia, Robert John Page joined the Watford youth system in 1983. A decade later, he played his first professional game with the club, going on to captain the Hornets as they won the Second Division in 1998 and then the First Division Play-Off final in 1999.

A decent defender, he went on to play for the likes of Sheffield United, Cardiff City, Coventry City and Huddersfield Town before ending his career at Chesterfield. He also played for the Wales international side from Under-18 level through to the first team.

In 2011, after retiring as a player, Page became a coach at Port Vale and was appointed as the club’s manager on a caretaker basis three years later. He was given the job in his own right and then in 2016 he was given a three-year contract to take over at Northampton Town.

Sadly, he only lasted until the January of 2017, at which point he was sacked, becoming the Wales Under-21 coach a couple of months later. In 2020, having worked as the caretaker coach of the national side in Ryan Giggs’ absence, he took on the role in his own right and remained there until 2024.

What He’ll Be Doing for Liverpool

On the 25th of June 2025, Liverpool Football Club confirmed that Rob Page had been appointed as the Under-21 coach. His work with Wales had seen him lead his national side to the World Cup for the first time in 64 years, but he was let go from the role when they failed to qualify for the European Championship in 2024. In spite of this, the Reds felt that he would be the ideal person to work with the young players at the club thanks to his experience as both a player and a coach. It was this that Alex Inglethorpe, the Academy Director, referred to in the wake of Page’s appointment.

Inglethorpe said, “Rob brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to a key role as young players look to bridge that gap from academy prospect to first-team footballers.” When he was Wales manager, Page worked hard to give young players a chance, allowing several players to play for the senior squad in spite of their young age. Liverpool will be hoping that he can do a similar thing for the club, helping young players to impress Arne Slot enough to mean that they will be given a chance. Slot has so far shown that players need to be the best in their position to make his squad.

Is it a Shift in Policy From the Reds?

Barry Lewtas had been at Liverpool for 12 years when he decided to step down as the head coach of the Under-21s. He had taken on several roles during that time, working across the board with the young players, including winning the FA Youth Cup with the Under-18s in 2019. He oversaw players such as Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Jarell Quansah whilst he was at the Academy, but the departure of the coach to take on a ‘new adventure’ means that the Reds can begin to go in a new direction. If a player is to make it into the first team under Slot, they’ve got to be operated at a high level.



Although Lewtas was obviously brilliant at his job, the simple truth is that the Academy’s role has to be about producing players that are good enough to be selected by Slot on a regular basis. Page’s experience as a manager in his own right will mean that he knows what it takes to be a first-team player, so it is likely that he will be looking to find out which members of the Liverpool Academy have that in their locker. There are several names that the Reds have high hopes for and it will be Page’s job to ensure that they become a serious part of the manager’s thought process.