Steve Heighway, legendary left winger, protege of Bill Shankly and architect of Liverpool’s academy, thought he had retired.
Across four decades he had served the club as player, coach and, latterly, academy director, stepping down in 2007 and heading to Florida to spend free hours coaching youngsters at the Clearwater Charges – a club he founded.
His legacy was left to an assortment of successors taking his vision in a different direction. Then, two years ago, he received a surprise call from current academy director Alex Inglethorpe.
Inglethorpe wanted to restore and evolve the Heighway legacy that prompted his most famous apprentices Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman to cite him as the greatest of influences.