Liverpool are flying under Jurgen Klopp's managerial acumen this season but the players know that the German's reign is drawing to a close, having announced his decision to step down later this year.

Trophies have been won from all angles over the duration of Klopp's tutelage but he has admitted that he is "running out of energy" and FSG now have an onerous task of replacing an irreplaceable figure.

Nonetheless, the Reds are in a superb position and boast a squad brimming with talent, and if the right manager is brought in, Liverpool 2.0 will enjoy silver-laden success for years to come.

Liverpool's manager shortlist

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso and Italian Roberto De Zerbi are considered the frontrunners at this early stage but Liverpool have mapped out more than just two options to succeed Klopp.

Ruben Amorim, leading Portuguese table-toppers Sporting Lisbon, is also on the radar though according to Record – via TEAMtalk – the 39-year-old will not enter discussions with the Anfield side until the end of the season.

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Amorim is also understood to have a €20m (£17m) release clause in his contract that Liverpool will need to meet to prise him away from the José Alvalade Stadium.

The perfect manager for Trent

While that release clause is rather lofty, FSG will be hellbent on securing Klopp's perfect successor and may well be content with granting such an outlay to ensure Liverpool continue to thrive.

Amorim might not be long into his managerial career but he has worked wonders in Lisbon and toppled the Benfica-Porto monopoly in 2020/21, winning the Liga Portugal with Sporting, and has won the Taça da Liga on three occasions, twice with his current club and once with S.C. Braga.

Such success has led journalist Zach Lowy to herald his "special" approach; an impressive trophy haul in the maiden phase of his career does him no harm in staking a claim to lead Liverpool's talented players.

Across 190 matches at the helm with Sporting, the former Benfica defender boasts a noteworthy 2.25 points per match, and while he favours a three-man defence – something Klopp has never utilised with Liverpool – tweaking the squad in this regard is hardly going to lay waste to the club's long-term plans.

Matches

207

Win

146

Draw

28

Loss

33

Goals for

440

Goals against

186

Points

466

Points per match

2.25

Trophies

4

It could even bring the best out of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has long been a right-back but is starting to shift into a central midfield role in possession to maximise his world-class creative ability.

As per FBref, the 25-year-old ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, shot-creating actions and passes attempted, the top 2% for progressive passes, the top 11% for interceptions and the top 14% for successful take-ons per 90.

Amorim's possession-heavy style – which has seen Sporting hold 59.3% of the ball to Liverpool's 59.5% this season – could well benefit him massively. Indeed, it's arguable that the Reds would see no less of the ball than they have under their German hero.

Additionally, the requirement of a wing-back (Amoriom uses a 3-4-3 formation) could be perfect to allow Alexander-Arnold to take his influence to new heights, providing him with a greater license to roam and continuing a development that might lead to a future role of permanence in the centre of the park.