Friday 2 December 2016 21:22, UK
Liverpool under-23s coach Michael Beale is to leave the club to become assistant manager at Brazilian side Sao Paulo, according to the Press Association.
Beale, who has been involved at the Reds' academy since September 2012, has indicated to the club he intends to leave for a position elsewhere.
Press Association understands his destination is Sao Paulo to become assistant to well-known former goalscoring goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who took charge at the South American club last week.
The pair are believed to have met at an English Football Association course for coaches in Liverpool last September.
No decision has been made on who will replace him as under-23 coach, a position to which he was promoted to having worked his way up after his initial appointment as youth development lead coach for the under-15 and under-16 age groups.
However, the vacancy will not be filled by the recently-retired former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who is looking for coaching opportunities now his playing days are over.
Gerrard may yet still return to his former club in some coaching capacity within the youth ranks but he will not immediately be given the under-23 job.
There is a well-established, extensive coaching infrastructure within the academy - which has registered some notable first-team successes recently with the emergence of Ben Woodburn, who became the club's youngest goalscorer against Leeds in midweek, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ovie Ejaria - and club officials are confident there will be no detrimental effect in the short term.
Beale has guided the under-23s to their current third place in Premier League 2, four points clear of Arsenal and only three behind leaders Everton, with their next fixture on Saturday at Leicester.
