Liverpool Close to Finalising New Appointment to Coaching Staff to Fill Lijnders Void

​Liverpool are set to add to their coaching staff this week, as they are close to finalising a deal to bring in Vitor Matos from his current role at Porto.

Matos is expected to take the position formerly occupied by Pepijn Lijnders, who is now Jurgen Klopp's assistant – a role that he moved into last year following the sudden departure of Zeljko Buvac.

Jurgen Klopp,Zeljko Buvac

According to Standard Sport, Matos will be tasked with ensuring that there is a smooth transition between the academy and the first team, enabling the current crop of youngsters to make an impression in the Premier League in the future.

Despite only being 31 years of age, Matos would bring with him a wealth of experience, having started at Porto in 2011. He moved to China in 2016 to take a position with Shandong Luneng Taishan, before returning to Porto in 2018 to resume his role as the Porto B assistant manager. 

His relationship with Lijnders also appears to have counted in his favour, as the pair worked together in Portugal prior to Lijnders moving to England. 

Liverpool handed first senior starts to Caoimhin Kelleher, Ki-Jana Hoever and Rhian Brewster last week in the Carabao Cup against MK Dons, signalling that Klopp is willing to give younger players a chance moving forwards.

Rhian Brewster

Matos will be expected to provide more players that are ready to make the step up, adding to the list of homegrown players to have done so over the years. Trent Alexander-Arnold is a prime example in recent times, breaking into the first team in 2017 before establishing himself as a regular in the side last season.


Source : 90min