Jurgen Klopp will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season (Picture: Getty)
Jurgen Klopp has dropped a major hint over his preferred choice to succeed him as Liverpool manager.
The German’s trophy-laden Anfield reign is set to end at the end of the season following his shock announcement last month.
Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is the current favourite to take over in the summer, while the likes of Roberto De Zerbi and Graham Potter have also been identified as possible contenders.
Alonso has enhanced his burgeoning reputation this season by masterminding Bayer Leverkusen’s unlikely Bundesliga title bid and last weekend’s crushing 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen further cemented his credentials.
‘Xabi is doing an incredible job,” Klopp said on Friday ahead of Liverpool’s game at Brentford.
‘If you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone ‘Oh my God!’
‘Always what I said, the dinosaurs if you want, Ancelotti (Carlo), Mourinho (Jose), Guardiola (Pep), maybe me, we will not do it okay, maybe Mourinho – but all the rest will not do it for the next 20 years.
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Xabi Alonso and Bayern Munich are flying at the top of the Bundesliga (Picture: Getty)
‘The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is a standout in that department.
‘Former world-class player, from a coaching family as well which helps a little, he was like a coach already when he was playing. The football he is playing, the teams he sets up, the transfers he did, it is absolutely exceptional.’
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Klopp added that he is not involved in the search for his successor as that is to be decided by the owners of the Merseyside club.
The 56-year-old, who has had his fair share of achievements in the German league from his time at Borussia Dortmund, praised Alonso’s immediate but potent implementation of strategies despite only taking on the role in October 2022.
‘How quick his team is that well tuned, for the time it’s taken, he’s put his proper stamp on it,’ Klopp added.