A Liverpool defender discusses his emotionally driven decision to leave the team after 13 years and decline a new contract.

Liverpool defender Charlie Hayes-Green retired from Merseyside career after 13 years opting for move to Bolton Wanderers

Former Liverpool youngster Charlie Hayes-Green has described the difficult decision he made when he turned down a new Reds contract to move to Bolton Wanderers.

The 18-year-old was announced last week as one of the players not signed by the club before the League One club confirmed the signing of the towering defender.

His transfer to the University of Bolton stadium ended his 13-year academy. As a result, he signed a one-year deal with the Trotters with the option of another year.

In his final season with the Reds, Hayes-Green was part of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s squad, playing alongside the likes of Ben Doak and even Juventus mercenary Arthur Melo. “I had 13 fantastic years, had so many incredible experiences at the club, learned so much, grew as a player and as a person off the pitch,” he told ECHO.

thank you to everyone on the trip who made it what it was as i had an amazing time there. But now is the time for me to move to Bolton, I thank everyone at Liverpool, but now my focus is on pre-season.”

The defender will turn 19 at the end of December and with just one under-21 appearance and 13 under-18 appearances, he felt the time was right to leave Kirkby.

Hayes-Green added: “We were offered an extension and a contract but I felt the road, for me personally, wasn’t there at Liverpool.

I didn’t feel it was the right place for me to start my career going forward and Bolton has given me the opportunity to continue and hopefully continue there. “It was a tough decision because emotionally I’ve been with Liverpool all my life, they’re the team I grew up supporting, so it was a tough decision.

“After talking to my family and people around me that I trust, I felt it was the right decision to move forward and start a new chapter in my career. The trajectory at Liverpool, I felt this was the place right for me. Continue.” And improve.

“Fingers crossed, from what I’ve seen and heard, Bolton is the right place for me to progress.”

The move to the League One club follows the path of fellow defender Conor Bradley. The Northern Ireland international was one of two Liverpool talents to join Lancashire alongside Owen Beck, but the Welshman was eventually recalled from his temporary spell.

Bradley enjoyed a successful spell with Bolton, however, as they lifted the Papa John’s trophy after an emphatic victory over Plymouth Argyle at Wembley. However, his move would end in heartbreak as they would be beaten in the play-off semi-final by Barnsley – who would lose to Sheffield on Wednesday in the final.

And while Hayes-Green thinks it’s unfair to draw comparisons to Bradley, the focus is on pursuing a similar path. He said: “Conor put in an amazing performance last season.

If you can do half as well as him, that’s fine.” It’s not really my job to compare myself to others, it’s my job to focus on myself, try to improve every day and leave the comparisons to the coaches.

“I spoke to him briefly when I went to Bolton, I knew a lot about the club anyway because I spoke to different people there. was huge for his development, hopefully I can take it with me.” The club too.”

The 18-year-old hopes his experience and development on Merseyside will bode well as he seeks to earn his trade in Bolton’s B team and break into the first team.

“It’s been really good on and off the pitch, they’ve done an incredible amount for my development.” You work with very good coaches and the guys around you push you because you are with very good players.

I’m sure it will stay that way in Bolton. “I’m over the moon, I’ve worked pretty much my whole life to get to the point where I now have to sign a professional contract,” he said when signing a contract with the Trotters.

“It was a very, very proud moment for me, my family and also the people around me. Together we have all worked so hard to get to this point and it’s an amazing feeling to have signed him.

“I’m really excited to get started. The whole vibe around the club is great, I went a few weeks ago and met all the guys. The level of training was also very good, I can’t wait to start.

Hayes-Green will officially become a Bolton player in early July when his contract on Merseyside expires.

He returns home with a range of experiences, including being challenged to defend against talented Liverpool winger Doak and receiving tutelage from Arthur in a Papa John Trophy appearance against Rochdale.
Speaking of Doak, he said:

“It’s been tough, he’s a really good player, as we all know, that’s what I need to play against the best players possible because they’re the people. that I like that will help me improve.”

“He’s a very, very good player and he gave me a few tough days of training. I learned a lot from Ben, he’s the kind of player you want to play against every day because they make you better and challenge you.”

Brazilian midfielder Arthur has endured a difficult time as the Reds spent just 13 minutes in the first team during a difficult loan spell from Juventus.

But the experience of the Wirral defender has been invaluable, explained Hayes-Green: “He was really good, a real professional.

Before the game it was a fantastic opportunity for me to be with players who played in such important games.

“He obviously played for Juventus, Barcelona and big teams with great players.

The closeness to him and the way he did things was so professional.”
“He came, was humble, talked to all of us and helped us in the dressing room and throughout the game, so it was a good experience.”