Former Liverpool midfielder opens up on his first coaching role

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Shelvey has long been open about his coaching ambitions and previously turned down an assistant role at Konyaspor to avoid relocating his family again.His coaching journey has now started in Dubai, where he initially took charge of training duties while former manager Harry Agombar, his former Arsenal youth teammate, was away.“Harry went away on holiday because we didn’t have a game and then I literally got asked to just take the training and got a great response from the lads,” he told The National.“I’d been taking the sessions for about a month before I actually got the job, and after the first day of the training session, the owners approached me and just said ‘We’d like to give you the job.’“I had just said that I’d only take it if it was OK with Harry because at the end of the day, Harry bought me out here and I owed that out of respect.”Shelvey added: “Obviously, I’ve known Harry since I was seven, eight years old. The Falcons are unbeaten in their last eight games in the UAE Second Division and sit fourth on 41 points, although they remain 17 points behind leaders Palm City FC.Shelvey worked under some of the most talented managers in English football, but two in particular have had a lasting influence on how he views the game.“I always go back to Eddie Howe in terms of his intensity and his level of detail.

I’ve tried to sort of take a lot of what he did with Newcastle into this,” he said.“And also, I’ll have to mention Michael Laudrup when I was at Swansea in terms of the way he plays attacking football. I like the way he played attacking football, and so I’m trying to like sort of get a blend of both of them.”Shelvey joined Liverpool in 2010 from Charlton Athletic.

While he never fully lived up to that billing during his three years at Anfield, he still produced several notable moments before leaving for Swansea City in 2013.He made his debut as a late substitute in a League Cup defeat to Northampton Town in September 2010 and spent much of his first season coming off the bench.To gain experience, he was loaned to Blackpool the following campaign, where he impressed with six goals in 10 Championship appearances.His form earned him a place in Kenny Dalglish’s squad upon his return, and he made his first Premier League start against Aston Villa in December 2011. A month later, he scored his first Liverpool goal in an FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic.Shelvey featured in Liverpool’s Europa League run and capped a positive season with a long-range goal in a 4–1 win over Chelsea.