In a slightly surprising move, former Wales boss Rob Page has been appointed head coach of Liverpool’s Under-21 team.

Page, 50, was sacked by Wales in June last year after failing to qualify for EURO 2024, losing in an agonising play-off final penalty shootout to Poland.

The former Wales captain had a successful reign as Wales coach, leading them as interim boss for EURO 2020, and guiding Wales to their first World Cup in 64 years when they qualified for the 2022 tournament.

Page won 41 caps for Wales as a player, and coached Wales to 15 wins in 45 matches as head coach. Prior to his time with the FAW, Page also coached at Port Vale and Northampton town.

He now succeeds the long-serving Barry Lewtas at Anfield.

“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,” said Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe.

“His recent achievements in guiding Wales to the last 16 at Euro 2020 before qualifying for the 2022 World Cup speak for themselves.

“But perhaps less heralded is the work that took place during his time in charge of the national team, which saw numerous pathway players make it into the senior squad.

“This is something we have seen first-hand at Liverpool with several of our academy players making significant progress on the international stage under Rob’s guidance.”

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.

Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.

You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.