New Liverpool manager latest as ‘three candidates to be interviewed’ amid Rúben Amorim claim

Liverpool is a maximum of 12 games away from needing a new manager. That’s how long is left of the Jürgen Klopp tenure, provided he makes it to the Europa League final.

Technically, there’s still the extremely remote possibility of a 13th match in the event that a Premier League title decider is needed against Manchester City, with the two teams boasting identical head-to-head records. But to all intents and purposes, the Klopp countdown is now fixed, and a new Liverpool era beckons on the horizon.

For the players, the focus remains on giving the current manager a fitting send-off, with a treble still on the cards. But Michael Edwards does not have that luxury, as the new FSG head of football searches for the man who will inherit a dynasty.

It’s believed that Edwards will be assisted in that hunt by incoming sporting director Richard Hughes, even though he does not leave Bournemouth until the end of the season. And while the new man’s link to Xabi Alonso’s agent has now been rendered irrelevant, it’s good to have more man-power committed to the search.

A report from Sky Germany yesterday suggested that Liverpool had found its preferred candidate. It claimed that an ‘agreement in principle’ had been reached with Sporting manager Rúben Amorim.

But numerous outlets have now rubbished that claim, with Amorim believed to be just one of a number of candidates still under genuine consideration. Far from reaching any agreement, he has not yet even had an interview with Liverpool.

However, the process of interviewing candidates is set to kick off shortly, per 90MIN. While Amorim could well be one of those brought in, Liverpool intends to formally invite ‘at least three’ managers before making a final selection.

Those interviews could happen this month. Other names to have been mentioned alongside Amorim include Julian Nageslmann and Roberto De Zerbi, though there is no indication at this stage of who will be invited to come in and talk about the possibility of replacing Klopp.