01 March 2024 , 10:29
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Sir Kenny Dalglish is hoping Liverpool avoid making two potentially catastrophic mistakes as they seek a successor to Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds will have to replace the German this summer as his successful nine-year stint draws to a close - potentially in a blaze of glory as they battle for glory on three fronts having already won the Carabao Cup.
But Liverpool icon Dalglish - the ultimate Reds legend as a player and manager - feels the club need to replace Klopp with someone who will be their own man, not Klopp 2.0, while he has also warned against the idea of appointing a sporting director before bringing in a new manager.
“When Jurgen Klopp goes everyone will be disappointed," Dalglish told William Hill. "He is obviously doing what he feels is best for him and everybody associated with the club is eternally grateful for what he has done. It is up to whoever gets in to follow him.
“It is very negative to say, ‘how can you follow Klopp?’. Whoever takes over from him just needs to be themselves. They’ll already have 90 per cent of the ingredients for success at their hands so if they don’t want to come in and give it a good go then they’ll have made the wrong decision. If they believe in themselves and trust what they have at their disposal, I think it is a great job to take on.
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Kenny Dalglish is concerned Liverpool could make an error when replacing Jurgen Klopp (Kieran McManus/REX/Shutterstock)“You can’t think about trying to emulate Jurgen Klopp, you have to be yourself. I don’t know where they’ll go with the new manager but they won’t get somebody like Klopp. The relationship he has with the fans is so important and if the next guy can build the same relationship, then he’s off to a great start. I’d like to see the new manager be somebody who knows what Liverpool is all about.”
As well as the manager sticking true to their principles, Dalglish feels the club will need to give him an environment to flourish regardless of who comes in as sporting director, with Michael Edwards having been linked with a return to the club in a senior role.
Michael Edwards has been linked with a return to LIverpool in a senior role (PA)"Clubs go about the sporting director situation in different ways,” said Dalglish. “Sometimes they bring them in before they bring in a manager, but that is not for me. I would do things the other way round.
“Just look at what is happening at Manchester United. They’re bringing a sporting director in now and I wonder whether they’ve actually consulted with Erik ten Hag. Is he really happy to work with him? If I was Ten Hag and they’d brought in a sporting director that I wasn’t happy with, I’d be booking my flight home.
“If the sporting director interferes too much and starts trying to do everyone else’s job as well as his own then you won’t be successful. That’s when you get internal strife.”
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