When Jurgen Klopp took the reins at Anfield, Liverpool had played Champions League football just once in half a decade.
Fast forward five years, and the club are European champions (featuring in back-to-back finals) and lead the halted Premier League by 25 points. It's little wonder fans will not want to contemplate life without the popular German in the Anfield dugout.
Klopp isn't going anywhere fast, having signed a new Liverpool deal in December which runs until 2024.
However, there will be a day when the curtain comes down on his illustrious Anfield tenure, and Liverpool journalist James Pearce has been speculating about the potential candidates to step into his shoes.
In a Q&A for The Athletic, the journalist listed three names who could take over from Klopp in 2024 at the 'earliest'.
The first is
Could we see Pep Lijnders potentially replace Jurgen Klopp in the future? 樂 pic.twitter.com/5PtyI80G2X
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) January 16, 2020
The 37-year-old joined Liverpool in 2014 to assist Brendan Rodgers, and remained when Klopp took the hot seat.
On the possibility of Lijnders taking permanent charge, Pearce wrote: "Pep Lijnders is massively respected by the owners and is a popular figure throughout the club.
| Liverpool Assistant Manager Pep Lijnders: "At Liverpool, we say it's about three things. The Holy Trinity, the fans, the manager and the squad. They have to be connected, they have to be one, they have to understand each other." #Liverpoolfc pic.twitter.com/1M87nb9WPj
— Anything Liverpool (@AnythingLFC_) October 29, 2019
Nagelsmann was handed his first Bundesliga job at the tender age of 28. Within a season, he had saved Hoffenheim from relegation and secured Champions League football for the first time in the club's history.
On Nagelsmann, Pearce added: "If RB Leipzig coach Julian Nagelsmann’s managerial career remains on an upward curve at that time, he’s bound to be of interest too."
"I still think Steven Gerrard is destined to manage Liverpool," Pearce added. "I know their domestic form hasn’t been great recently but in general, he’s done a great job at Rangers.
"In football, it’s all about timing.
Source : 90min