LIVERPOOL CONFIDENTIAL: Jurgen Klopp backs Adam Lallana's coaching ambitions, Reds track Palmeiras wonderkid Luis Guilherme and Fernando Torres is still learning from Liverpool staff

There were a couple of reunions at Anfield on Sunday, not least man of the match Alexis Mac Allister getting a rousing ovation from the Brighton faithful. But it also saw a loud ovation for former Reds star Adam Lallana.

Now 35, Lallana had a good chance to score an equaliser late on but pulled his shot slightly wide. The midfielder is soon to move into coaching and is widely tipped to retire from playing either at the end of this season or next.

And Jurgen Klopp has thrown his weight behind Lallana’s coaching career and offered to help him with advice. The former Southampton star, who won 34 England caps, did some work for the national team’s Under 21s alongside Lee Carsley during the recent break from club football.

‘No surprise,’ said Klopp, talking about Lallana’s move into coaching. ‘First and foremost, the most important ingredient for a young coach is to love the game, and obviously Adam's love of the game is coming out of his ears!

‘He could play football for 24 hours if his body would let him do that. Then he needs to be ready for the necessary next steps. Being around the U21s already is a good sign that he is ready to learn.

‘Being a player is one experience, but all the rest you have to look over your shoulder or talk to people. He is someone I have enough time to talk to whenever he wants about my experiences, so we will definitely have talks.

‘I'm really happy for him. Such a football lover really has to stay in the game, and I am really happy that he wants to do that. That can only be good for the game.’ The midfielder also shadowed Roberto De Zerbi for four months last season when injured.

Lallana did, however, raise a few eyebrows before the match on Sunday when he admitted he wanted Liverpool to win the title before playing against them. His last-ditch tackle at one end and narrow miss at the other indicated he was all in for Brighton’s cause, though.

Liverpool tracking Palmeiras prospect Luis Guilherme 

Liverpool are among a growing list of Premier League and European clubs maintaining a watching brief on Palmeiras wonderkid Luis Guilherme, 18, according to sources in the scouting community.

The 18-year-old has impressed for the Brazilian club, featured in the Copa Libertadores and already gained international standing with the Under 20s. And it is believed the Reds, alongside several others of Europe’s elite, have closely monitored his progress.

Palmeiras produced Gabriel Jesus before selling him to Manchester City and recently dealt with Real Madrid for rising star Endrick, who scored for Brazil against England in the recent international friendly. Nottingham Forest also bought Danilo from the club.

It now appears Guilherme is the next off that famed production line, with many European giants looking to gain the upper hand in the race to sign him. The teenager can play as a No 10 or wide forward and reports in Brazil say Palmeiras would demand north of £40million.

Fernando Torres still looking to learn from Liverpool coaching staff 

Fernando Torres is still knocking about on Merseyside after scoring in front of the Kop in a recent charity match, and spent the weekend shadowing Jurgen Klopp and his coaching team, which has seen his odds to take over from the German drop to 18/1!

Occupying Klopp’s hot-seat with no first-team managerial experience will be a step too far but don’t rule him out of a role at the club in the future. Torres is currently managing Atletico Madrid’s Under 19s.

He was shadowing Klopp and Pepijn Lijnders during training on Friday and picked their brains on scheduling sessions plus tactics. Torres was also spotted at Anfield on Sunday and will have gained a lot from his experiences.

Liverpool stars to feature in Mr Muscle partnership

Three Liverpool stars are planning to star in a sustainability campaign from the Reds’ partnership with Mr Muscle, where nearly 13,000 fans will have their name graffitied into the ground outside Anfield to represent the number of plastic bottles recycled every match.

Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcantara will help promote the initiative, which will start with a ‘walk of fame’ outside Anfield. Every bottle of water at the stadium is branded with Liverpool’s logo but also a nod to Mr Muscle.

Indeed, the plastic used for those bottles is recycled and repurposed into Mr Muscle cleaning products. It is part of a three-year sustainability partnership with SC Johnson, who estimates 12,848 bottles are recycled every matchday at Anfield.

A culmination of this partnership will see a ‘Walk of Fame’ be revealed on the famous Rockfield Road, to celebrate the collective muscle of fans who have helped contribute towards sustainability goals, over the past two football seasons at Anfield.

Talented Reds youngster Kieran Morrison making good progress 

Liverpool's breakthrough star of the season Conor Bradley is not the only Northern Irishman making waves at Kirkby. Kieran Morrison has impressed playing for Liverpool’s youth sides this season and was given the chance to train with the first team last week.

Morrison has played for Northern Ireland’s Under 19s side and has recently stepped up to be a full-time member of Barry Lewtas’ Under 21s for Liverpool. The midfielder is technically gifted and has an eye for goal, too.

Though he looks destined to one day pull on the Liverpool shirt at Anfield for the first team, his career could have ended up with him starring for another club in red. Morrison was poached from Manchester United’s academy aged 14 after spending eight years there.

Book released about former Liverpool goalkeeper Tommy Lawrence 

You may remember the BBC vox-pop of fans in the streets of Liverpool asking their memories of the 1967 Merseyside Derby. Unknown to the reporter, he actually asked the Reds goalkeeper that day. ‘I do (remember it), I played in it,’ he said, laughing with a cheeky grin.

That was Tommy Lawrence. He was a hero in the 1960s but largely forgotten until this clip, which saw the younger generation start to research about the former goalkeeper, who passed away in 2018.

His story is now a book, Sweeper Keeper, which was released this week, written by Peter Kenny Jones and published by Pitch. Jones said: ‘It’s easy to forget who these players are and why they’re so popular and famous back in the day.

‘He was a very important player that was probably forgotten by time. It goes in the book that he fell on hard times, but this (the viral video) gave him the moment in the spotlight again. It gave him that reinvigoration of that, you know, he was an important player at this club.’

Media staff at Anfield must wear wristbands 

Media staff and press at Anfield are now required to wear green wristbands - as if they were on an all-inclusive holiday - if they want feeding. Staffers told Mail Sport the move is to clamp down on hanger-ons who come into the press suite and help themselves to the free buffet!

Matt Beard is best WSL manager to have a drink with

Matt Beard is the best manager to join for a post-match drink within the Women’s Super League, according to Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall. Asked if there was a culture of a post-match pint or glass of wine, Eidevall said: ‘Only with Matt Beard, he is a great connector of doing that!’

Not much to raise a glass to on Saturday, mind, as Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 4-1 to strengthen their WSL title hopes. But Missy Bo Kearns did celebrate her 100th appearance for the Reds.

She said: ‘I would probably never have imagined it to happen. It’s obviously a massive milestone in my career and it’s a lot of experience for my age and I’m just grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had and I’m hungry for more. I love playing for Liverpool.’