Julian Ward (born 17 June 1981) is an English football manager and former footballer who is the technical director of Liverpool.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 June 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Morecambe | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001–2002 | Morecambe | ||
| 2003–2004 | Hyde United | ||
| 2004–2005 | Kidsgrove Athletic | ||
| 2005–2007 | Larne | ||
| 2007 | Lisburn Distillery | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 2001–2002 | England U20 (analyst) | ||
| 2008–2010 | Portugal (analyst) | ||
| 2010–2012 | Manchester City (analyst) | ||
| 2012–2015 | Liverpool (analyst) | ||
| 2015–2020 | Liverpool (loan manager) | ||
| 2020– | Liverpool (technical director) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Early life
editWard was born on 17 June 1981 in Liverpool, England, but grew up in Cumbria, England. Eventually, he returned to Liverpool to study sports science at Liverpool John Moores University.[1]
Playing career
editAs a youth player, Ward joined the youth academy of English side Morecambe, where he started his senior career. In 2003, he signed for English side Hyde United. One year later, he signed for English side Kidsgrove Athletic. In 2005, he signed for Northern Irish side Larne, before signing for Northern Irish side Lisburn Distillery two years later.
Managerial career
editIn 2001, Ward was appointed as an analyst for the England national under-20 football team. Following his stint there, he was appointed as an analyst for the Portugal national football team in 2008. During his time with the Portugal national football team, he learnt Portuguese.[2] In 2010, he was appointed as an analyst for English Premier League side Manchester City.
Two years later, he was appointed as an analyst for English Premier League side Liverpool. By 2020, after working as the club's loan manager, he was promoted to work as their technical director. While serving as their technical director, he helped them sign a number of players, including Colombia international Luis Díaz.[3]
References
edit- ^ "How Julian Ward used Portuguese connections to help Liverpool strike Darwin Nunez deal". liverpoolecho.co.uk. 12 June 2022.
- ^ Pearce, James. "The remarkable rise of Julian Ward at Liverpool: Scouting manager to sporting director in seven years". The New York Times.
- ^ "Who is Julian Ward? The ex-Irish League footballer linked with Manchester United job". belfastlive.co.uk. 28 December 2023.