Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said his former Reds teammate Xabi Alonso is the favourite to replace outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
Klopp on Friday made a surprise announcement he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season.
The German admitted he is “running out of energy” after entering into his ninth year in charge of Liverpool.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Caragher said Alonso is so respected at Liverpool.
“We are losing one of the greatest managers in world football, one of the greatest managers Liverpool have ever had and it is a sad day, no doubt,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“But in the same breath, we have got to be looking forward to the new man coming in, get behind him and support him. Bill Shankly left, Bob Paisley left, Kenny Dalglish left and Liverpool moved on.
“You can’t get away from Xabi Alonso because he is so respected at Liverpool already for what he did as a player – he is a Champions League winner, held himself with real class, he is a World Cup winner.
“Right now, the job he’s done at Bayer Leverkusen, he looks like the brightest young thing in European football. It certainly makes him the front-runner.”