Steve McManaman exclusive: Jurgen Klopp up there with all-time Liverpool greats, Xabi Alonso now 'top of the list'

Steve McManaman says Jurgen Klopp will go down as one of Liverpool’s all-time greatest managers and believes Xabi Alonso is at ‘the top of the list’ to replace the German.

Klopp will bring the curtain down on a hugely-successful nine-year spell at Anfield at the end of the season, and McManaman believes that Xabi Alonso is the inevitable favourite to take over after his sterling job with Bayer Leverkusen.

When reacting exclusively to TNT Sports, McManaman said: "Like most people, it was a big shock. I didn't expect Jurgen to be around for the next five or 10 years, but whenever the announcement happens, whether it’s at the start, middle or end of the season, it would have been a shock given what the Liverpool fans think of him and what he's done for the club.

“I don't think there's any right time to announce an announcement like this. But a couple of days after they got to Wembley and they’re sitting pretty in four competitions; if there's ever a time when it's going to be a little bit more softened, it's probably now.”

McManaman says Klopp will be rightly regarded alongside Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish as one of the club’s greatest-ever managers.

“It's hard because Bill Shankly started things, Bob Paisley followed on and was incredibly successful. Then Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish came in.

“They were all successful in their own right. It’s hard to say but he’s certainly in the conversation. As long as you're successful with Liverpool, and add a trophy to contribute to the history of success, you'll be spoken about in lofty terms.

“With Jurgen and the charisma of the man, that’s what people latched onto and appreciate. Vocally, someone like him and Bill Shankly stand out.

“Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish were a lot quieter. Whereas Jurgen is outspoken and passionate, and I think he’s certainly regarded as one of the best.”

McManaman also spoke in more detail about the hugely popular Alonso among the club’s fan base, and how the Spaniard will need to contend with a huge amount of scrutiny in the coming months.

“Well Xabi will jump right at the top of the list because of the job he is doing at Bayer Leverkusen,” he explained.

“I feel slightly sorry for him that the announcement has happened because he's going to be bombarded now from pillar to post, answering questions when he's doing an incredible job himself.

“He’s led Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga and having a great chance in their cup competitions. They’re in the Europa League with Liverpool, strangely enough, so he would jump to the top of the tree.

“The fact that he's got a link to Liverpool, he understands what the club is about and was involved in the 2005 Champions League win against Milan, certainly helps. I think a lot of the Liverpool fans, certainly, the people who live in Liverpool and understand the area, will earmark him as someone who’s wanted.”

However, the former Reds midfielder and TNT Sports pundit stressed that Alonso’s appointment is not a foregone conclusion by any means given what he could still achieve in Germany.

“It's going to be hard to prize him away from Bayer Leverkusen at this moment in time because he's only been there 16 or 17 months,” he added.

“He’s done such an amazing job in such a short space of time and may want to complete the job himself. But of course, the speculation is going to be rife now because of his connection with Liverpool, the style of play he's implementing over there, and knows everything that you need to know about Liverpool.

“But of course, Liverpool will have done their due diligence in looking at managers, like they do their due diligence and look at players and every single position.

“There will be a list of managers for the possible departure of Jurgen Klopp. And the fact that it's happened now, is they'll start to implement it. No doubt Jurgen will have a say and they'll certainly be other people will be sitting around tables going through all of these up-and-coming managers throughout Europe and the world.”

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