Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Liverpool

Liverpool legend gives verdict on the job to succeed Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season and Steve McManaman has given his verdict on the job his replacement will have on his hands. 

Steve McManaman believes Jurgen Klopp has given his replacement at Liverpool the best platform with which to succeed.

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, a friend of former Reds winger McManaman, remains the frontrunner as his team edges closer to the first Bundesliga title in their history, but there are a number of other contenders. However, with one trophy already secured, the fight for the remaining three looks healthy as they head to the Czech Republic to face Sparta Prague in the Europa League. 

With the squad revamped in the last 18 months, McManaman believes there are positives and negatives for the man who takes over. “It’s going to be a really difficult job taking over after Jurgen, with the person he is and the stature he has in the city,” the former Real Madrid forward told the PA news agency ahead of Sparta Prague v Liverpool, live exclusively on TNT Sports.

“But on the other hand, the club will be financially healthy and in a good position. It’s not as if someone is getting sacked and you have to take over a struggling team. 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“He [Klopp] will leave this team at the very top, he will give them the best possible opportunity to succeed but I don’t know who it will be. 

“I know Xabi well, he’s a mate of mine, so I’m slightly biased but I certainly wouldn’t want to put pressure on him. He’s 18 months into an incredible start of his career as, let’s be honest, Real Sociedad B doesn’t count, this is his proper job.

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

“Whether it’s too soon I don’t know. He’s got lots of interest. He’ll choose whatever role he needs to do, the main thing for him is for him to be successful.”

 

The trip to Prague comes just a few days before title rivals Manchester City arrive at Anfield and it could be timely to give valuable match sharpness to players who have been injured. Mohamed Salah, who has played just 46 minutes since leaving the African Cup of Nations early with a hamstring injury on January 18, is set to return to training this week.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

 

McManaman thinks a run out against the Czech league leaders could be the ideal tune-up for him and Dominik Szoboszlai, who came off the bench in Saturday’s win over Nottingham Forest for his first appearance in five weeks. “He [Klopp] brought on Darwin Nunez, Wataru Endo and Szoboszlai for minutes but Mo will be the one who will get minutes [against Sparta] rather than the full game to nurse back into Sunday,” he added. 

“I think a lot of it will be looking at Sunday to make sure everyone gets through Thursday with the required level of playing time they need because Sunday is a bigger game than Thursday.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

 

 

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

NFL

‎ The New England Patriots are gearing up for a crucial offseason, with the combine and free agency on the horizon. In this article,...

NFL

It has been a couple of weeks since the Cleveland Browns ended their season with a 3-14 record. The best thing the Browns had...

NFL

In this new development, Maye is facing criticism for not attending Mike Vrabel’s introductory press conference as the new head coach of the New...

NFL

The New England Patriots finished the 2024 season with a 4-13 record, giving them one of the worst records in the NFL and putting...

Advertisement