Liverpool Icon bats for Managerial target replacing Jurgen Klopp at Anfield

Liverpool icon Luis Garcia gave his vote of confidence to Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim to succeed manager Jurgen Klopp

Former footballer Luis Garcia backs Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim to become a worthy successor of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. In January, Klopp announced that he was leaving the managerial role at the end of the season after feeling burnout.

The announcement followed numerous rumours about the potential candidates for the managerial role from the English media. In the beginning, Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso and Amorim stood ahead as the firm favourite for the job.

However, Xabi announced that he is staying at Leverkusen to fulfil his commitment to the German club. Since then, the Sporting CP’s current manager has been the sole firm favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield.

Sporting CP appointed the 39-year-old as their manager during the latter stage of the 2019-20 season after sacking Silas. Amorim immediately guided the club to a respectable fourth-place finish and a qualification to the Europa League third qualifying round.

The 39-year-old guided the club to their first Liga Portugal title in 19 years during the 2020-21 season. He has also won Taca da Liga twice with the Portuguese club and Supertaca Candido de Oliveira in 2021.

Amorim is currently guiding Sporting CP to another league title, seven points ahead of Benfica in the Liga Portugal table. His team has also beaten Benfica in the Taca de Portugal semi-final to reach its final once again.

Garcia told CBS Sports (h/t Mirror) that Amorim is a fantastic candidate to succeed Klopp at Liverpool next season. He said:

“I had the chance of meeting Ruben Amorim on our coaching licence (course) we did together – I can tell you, he is very honest and professional and I think that today [Amorim denying Liverpool interview] proved that. For me, I think he’s a fantastic young manager who can bring something different, who had that fantastic league [win in 2021] and a style very similar to Jurgen Klopp has shown us during the last ten years. So why not? He’s got the experience of playing in the European competition and also won trophies in Portugal. For me, he’s a fantastic candidate for the future of Liverpool.”

Amorim’s reign at Sporting CP helped the club become one of the dominant forces in Portugal alongside Benfica and Porto. The 39-year-old installed a culture which balances the development of youth alongside a continued push for trophies.

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Klopp has installed a similar culture at Liverpool which has helped them sustain challenges against high-spending rival clubs. Amorim’s philosophy, character and football knowledge make him a worthy candidate to succeed Klopp at Liverpool but time will tell whether that will happen during the summer.