Where are they now? 7 Liverpool academy graduates who retired prematurely

Liverpool have produced plenty of world-class talents over the years, but not all of their academy graduates have made it at the top level.

While most professionals play into their late thirties, others end up hanging up their boots at a considerably younger age.

We’ve gone through Liverpool’s former academy graduates and have found seven of them who retired early to see what they’re up to these days.

Joe Hardy

The forward made one senior appearance for Liverpool during an FA Cup replay against  Shrewsbury Town back in 2020.

Unfortunately for Hardy, injuries strunted his progression at Anfield and ultimately led to his release from the club at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

He then had short spells with Accrington Stanley and Bootle, but decided to call it quits on his playing career in 2023.

Now aged 26, he still works in the football industry as an academy coach at Manchester City.

Wade Maxwell

The midfielder left Liverpool in 2015 to join Barnsley, but found senior opportunities tough to come by.

After a short stint in Lithuania, he last played for non-league outfit Prescot Cables before announcing his retirement.

Since hanging up his boots, the 27-year-old has gone down a traditional career path and now works as a customer service assistant.

Jerome Sinclair

Following a prolific streak in the Liverpool academy as a youngster, Sinclair was quickly dubbed as the ‘next Michael Owen’.

He was picked up by the Reds when he was 14 and he went on to make five senior appearances for the club.

During that time, he managed to score against Exeter City in the FA Cup, which propelled the youngster into the limelight.

Bournemouth tried to sign him in 2016, but were beaten to his signature by Watford, who paid around £4million for his services.

Unfortunately, things never really clicked for Sinclair during his six-year spell at Vicarage Road as he only made 14 appearances and scored one goal.

Instead, he spent the vast majority of his Watford career out on loan and had stints with Birmingham, Sunderland, Oxford, VVV-Venlo and CSKA Sofia.

Upon his Watford contract expiring in 2021, the striker spent a prologue period as a free agent before he went on trial with Oxford in 2022–23.

However, after not being offered a contract, the 28-year-old stepped away from the game and now owns a branch of fried chicken shops.

Andy Firth

Firth spent several years on the books at Liverpool but never made a senior appearance for the club.

He spent the vast majority of his playing career as a backup goalkeeper and had spells with the likes of Rangers and Connah’s Quay Nomads.

The 28-year-old called it quits on his playing career at the end of last season and now works as a goalkeeper coach for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.

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Ryan Crump

After leaving Liverpool, Crump had spells with the likes of Blackburn and Chester before he stepped away from the game in 2021.

Nowadays, the 29-year-old works as a football coach for a girls’ school in Chester.

Marc Pelosi

The midfielder spent four years in the Liverpool academy, but he made his senior breakthrough after moving to San Jose Earthquakes in 2015.

However, he only made 12 appearances for the club before he decided to take a career break and then subsequently retire in 2018.

Since hanging up his boots, Pelosi has worked as a self-employed investor, as per his LinkedIn.

Tom King

Like many players on this list, injuries hampered King’s progression while at the Liverpool academy.

The defender also had stints in England with Stoke City and Bristol City, but he never made a senior appearance for either of those clubs.

He spent his last year as a professional playing for Melbourne City before he ultimately retired in 2016.

Now aged 30, King currently works as the Head of Product at a UK-based career marketplace.