Manchester United could still be interested in ‘unique’ manager, he’s one of Liverpool’s top targets

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Liverpool are unlikely to face a clear path to a number of their top targets to replace Jurgen Klopp.

The Reds have been put in the unexpected position of having to find a successor for Klopp, who will leave the club at the end of the season.

With the German having been at Anfield for more than eight years, this is unfamiliar territory for the Reds. And according to The Telegraph, they’re unlikely to have things all their own way.

They claim that currently, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi of Brighton are the early ‘front-runners’ to take over from Klopp. However, other teams are reportedly keen on both coaches, too.

Alonso is said to be high on Bayern Munich’s list of candidates should they decide to replace Thomas Tuchel this summer. Meanwhile, Tuchel would supposedly be one of those targeted by Manchester United if they choose to pull the trigger on Erik ten Hag, thus freeing up the Bayern job.

United could seemingly cause further complication for Liverpool, with De Zerbi reportedly likely to be ‘in the frame’ if Ten Hag is removed.

Liverpool face De Zerbi fight

As ever when hiring a new manager, the summer is a potentially difficult time to do it.

With plenty of teams revaluating after the season, there’s the likelihood that a number of jobs could instantly become available.

As the pool of suitable managers for top clubs is relatively small, this will inevitably lead to a proverbial bun fight for the best candidates.

That’s why Liverpool now have an advantage, though. Klopp’s announcement yesterday means that they can openly search for a new manager with months of the season to spare.

United can’t do that. They still don’t even know if Ten Hag will need to be replaced, so how can they go about recruiting someone else.

For Bayern, it also seems unlikely that they’ll part company with Tuchel before the end of the campaign. If Alonso is the main candidate, then there’s no chance of him jumping ship at Leverkusen during a title fight with his old club.

Of course, the Bavarians could go behind Tuchel’s back and line Alonso up for a summer move ahead of time, but that just doesn’t feel like something that could realistically happen.

In the case of De Zerbi specifically, there’s always going to interest in a coach like that, whatever the timing. Pep Guardiola called what he’s doing at Brighton ‘unique’ back in May [BBC Sport]. The Italian looks set for a big job sooner rather than later. Maybe that will be Liverpool, maybe it’ll be United. Only time will tell.