Crewe might not be a big club anymore in England but they do boast of one of the best youth academies in the nation and one of the emerging gems from that academy is 14-year old Max Clayton.

Yet as with all modest clubs where funds are available only through the sale of star names, Crewe too are confronting the frightening prospect of watching Clayton leave the club for free and leave for Liverpool. The Reds have been reported to be interested in snapping the player off Crewe but boss Steve Holland says that this is not going to happen.

He says:

There has been no official contact. There has been a trend in academies of aggressive recruitment by the bigger clubs. If you lose these players there is a compensation system in place, but it is totally inadequate compared to the figures we have received when the players have gone at the right time.

Clayton is said to possess loads of talent and certainly he must be aware of that. And when Liverpool come calling, it is indeed very, very difficult to say no.

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