'I know people will think I’m absolutely mad' - Liverpool urged to raid Premier League rival for next manager

And now, the end is near. Unless Liverpool can pull off one more European miracle under their departing, much-loved manager, come this evening, Jurgen Klopp will have just six games left in charge of the club he has transformed.

The Reds arrived in Bergamo last night ahead of their Europa League quarter-final second leg at Atalanta. Speaking at his press conference, Klopp revived the famous message he told his players before the greatest comeback achieved under his watch - the 4-0 Champions League semi-final second-leg win over Barcelona on that unforgettable night at Anfield back in May 2019.

"(Before Barcelona) I remember I said, ‘If we fail, then let’s fail in the most beautiful way’," said the Liverpool boss, whose side went on to win the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final in Madrid. "And that’s exactly how I see it again."

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Like against Barca, the Reds will be the underdogs tonight. Like against Barca, they trail Atalanta 3-0 after the first leg.

Should they not be able to overturn that deficit, it will leave all of Liverpool's eggs in the Premier League basket. Themselves and Arsenal trail new leaders Manchester City by two points going into the final six fixtures of the top-flight season.

It's against that backdrop that speculation continues over who will replace Klopp, who led the Reds to a seventh major trophy in nine years when his injury-hit side produced an heroic performance to beat Chelsea 1-0 in February's Carabao Cup final.

Ruben Amorim, who is on the verge of leading Sporting CP to a second Primeira Liga title in four seasons, is considered the favourite. However, former Liverpool defender Glen Johnson isn't sure that should be the case.

Instead he believes the Reds should consider the man Klopp overcame at Wembley not so long ago, and at the Wanda Metropolitano after that incredible fightback against Barcelona that they will look to repeat this evening.

“I don’t know a great deal about him (Amorim) but result-wise, he’s clearly doing a brilliant job at Sporting Lisbon," said Johnson to Betfred. "However, I’m concerned for anyone that has to fill Jurgen Klopp’s shoes.

“I’m sure that Liverpool will have successful managers again in the future, but to immediately follow Jurgen is a tough job. Anyone who goes there now has a very uphill job to do. It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s going to be a tough job.”

Johnson thinks the Reds should turn to former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino, whose Chelsea team can keep a difficult season alive by beating holders Man City in the first of this weekend's FA Cup semi-finals.

“Even though I’ve said that Jurgen Klopp will be a tough act to follow, any manager that comes in will be inheriting a great squad and it will be an improvement in terms of player quality than any candidate would have had at their disposal previously,” continued Johnson.

“I know people will think that I’m absolutely mad, but Mauricio Pochettino is a big name that can go into that job and grab everyone's attention. That would excite people despite what’s happened at Chelsea this season because I don’t believe what’s gone on there is Mauricio’s fault.

"You don’t become a bad manager overnight and if he inherited that Liverpool squad, then I believe he could do good things at Anfield.”