Jay Spearing has extended his playing career for a fourth season in his role within Liverpool’s academy, having also been in the squad to last wear Adidas in 2012.
Spearing rejoined Liverpool in the role of player-coach in the academy in 2022, and he has remained in that position at the start of 2025/26.
As well as assisting U21s head coach Rob Page off the pitch, the 36-year-old is registered as a player and can be called upon as one of five over-age options in any given game.
Though his appearances are likely to be limited, Spearing did feature on four occasions for the young Reds last season and even trained alongside the first team.
His involvement allows him to lend his experience on the pitch while effectively coaching players through games, and he is particularly useful in the tests against senior opposition in the EFL Trophy.
Liverpool U21s have been drawn against Burton Albion, Crewe and Chesterfield in the group stage of this season’s tournament, meaning they will play against sides from League One and League Two.
A distinction of Spearing’s continued playing career is that he will be the only player to have worn Adidas’ two most recent kits for the club.
He was part of the squad to play in Adidas under Sir Kenny Dalglish in 2011/12 and is now with the club for the first campaign back wearing their kits 13 years on.
In an interview with That Peter Crouch Podcast before the Liverpool Legends match against Chelsea in March – which he played in – Spearing reflected on his new role and his desire to play for as long as possible.
“It’s incredible. For me it’s class,” he told Crouch.
“It’s kind of come as a bit of a full circle, especially joining the academy at seven and going all the way through, to then come back and I’m trying to get the next ones to come through, for me it’s a huge buzz.
“And obviously I still get to play, so on a day-to-day basis, I train most days and then the coaching bit’s on the side at the moment.
“I’m trying to keep the boots on until someone literally takes them off me!”
Probably the most frequently asked question around Spearing’s continued involvement at the club as a player is whether he is eligible for the first team – and the answer is yes.
“How it works is I’ve signed pretty much pro forms,” he explained.
“So if there was a catastrophe or something really bad happened and they were looking for somebody to get involved, then yeah I could physically play with the forms that I’ve signed.”