‘I left Liverpool after 10 years and am loving my next challenge in League One’

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“I’m incredibly grateful to both Barry and Bridgy, who have both gone on to show how well-regarded they are by both immediately picking up roles elsewhere.”

While Lewtas chose to remain in youth coaching and has taken up a position with England’s underage unit, Bridge-Wilkinson’s next career move has seen him strike out in an entirely different direction.

After a decade working in youth soccer, the former Port Vale and Carlisle United midfielder joined Lee Grant’s intriguing project at Huddersfield Town.

“It felt really weird at first,” admitted Bridge-Wilkinson, speaking for the first time since departing Liverpool over the summer.

Bridge-Wilkinson left Liverpool at the end of last season.

“You have to be a bit more pragmatic,” he admitted.

“But we as a coaching group believe that by improving players, that will increase performance levels and results will follow.”

That was very much the case at Liverpool, when Bridge-Wilkinson played a huge role in the progression of elite-level talents such as Conor Bradley, Jarell Qunsah, and Tyler Morton.

“I do look back on it with pride,” he reflected.

Bridge-Wilkinson has overseen the development of several youth players in recent years.

In addition to mentoring players who have gone on to play significant roles for Jurgen Klopp and Slot, the highlight of his half-decade working with the Under-18s was a run to the 2021 FA Youth Cup.

A recent study revealed that Liverpool was the club that afforded youth graduates the most minutes in the 2024/25 Premier League season, with the progression of underage players pushed at all levels in recent years.

“I think that having Jurgen as a first-team manager who believed in youth and was willing to play youngsters is the biggest element,” said Bridge-Wilkinson, who modestly brushes aside praise of his undeniable contribution to that statistic.

“I was very fortunate; I joined the academy and a lot of these processes and this work was already being done.

In choosing the Terriers, Bridge-Wilkinson also returned to the club that offered him his first opportunity in coaching, and which he left to join Liverpool in 2015.

After a conversation with Grant, the former goalkeeper who embarked on his first head coach role this summer after years working under Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town, Bridge-Wilkinson was convinced this was the right move for him.

He was sold on Grant’s methods, tactics, and coaching philosophy, and joined as part of an intriguing coaching line-up that includes ex-Republic of Ireland international Paul McShane, Jonathan Robinson, who also worked at Liverpool and was Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Al-Ettifaq, and 33-year-old goalkeeping coach Chris Elliott.

In an innovative approach, all are assistant coaches, charged with looking after a distinct section of the team