Liverpool’s Pep Lijnders might be in running to become assistant manager next season

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As well as looking for a manager for next season, Liverpool need to think about who joins the new boss’ team.

There is set to be a great deal of upheaval at Anfield following Jurgen Klopp’s planned exit this summer. Along with the manager, his whole coaching team are set to depart.

Obviously, who comes in to replace Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and co will depend on who succeeds Klopp. For now, we’re going to have to wait on all fronts.

In terms of Lijnders, the reason the 41-year-old is due to leave is to embark on a management career of his own. And according to Dutch outlet NOS, Lijnders could be in the running to take over at Ajax.

They claim that the Liverpool man’s name has been ‘circulating’ at the Amsterdam club, who want to appoint a new head coach for next season.

However, it’s reportedly ‘not clear’ whether Lijnders is thought of as a manager or an assistant manager within Ajax. With a number of other candidates said to be under consideration, maybe Pep could end up back as a number two after all.

Lijnders under consideration at Ajax

Surely there’s no way that Lijnders leaves Liverpool only to go on and be an assistant manager elsewhere.

Of course, with Klopp going there is an argument that time was up for Pep anyway. He was rumoured to be a candidate for the job initially. But when it became clear that he was not, it’s better to have the new manager bring his own people in and start afresh.

Having gained so much experience under one of the best managers of all time though, it doesn’t make sense for Lijnders to move sideways.

Instead, if the Dutchman does join Ajax, we’d expect that it would be as a head coach.

As seen by their torrid defeat to Aston Villa on Thursday – which was Jordan Henderson’s first club game back in England since leaving Liverpool – the Amsterdammers are at a low ebb right now. Expectations, although always high for such a big club, are as low as they could be.

That doesn’t make it an easy job for Lijnders, but it may give him the conditions he needs to build something from the bottom up.

That could still be done as an assistant manager, but Pep sounds like he’s really ready to give it a go in the top job.

Besides, looking at the other candidates mentioned by NOS, there’s no one there of any significant level. It looks set to be someone who is making the biggest step of their career.

Given all he has achieved with Liverpool under Klopp, Lijnders deserves to be the man to take it on. We’d be amazed if he wasn’t able to turn Ajax’s fortunes around and make his name as a top manager in his own right.