Cesc Fabregas has suggested Liverpool have missed out on the opportunity to sign up the ideal replacement to replace Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp will end a nine-year tenure at Anfield when he departs at the end of the season. The 56-year-old shocked the world when he announced he would be stepping down from his position earlier this year.
Following the German's announcement, the Reds have been linked with a host of managers, including Sporting Clube de Portugal's Ruben Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi.
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Former Reds midfielder Xabi Alonso emerged as the initial favourite to take charge of the club, but the Spaniard affirmed his intentions to remain in the Bundesliga, in charge of Bayer Leverkusen. Fabregas believes that is a huge blow for Liverpool, who have missed out on an 'incredible' manager.
Speaking on the BBC’s Planet Premier League podcast, he said: "I’m not surprised [by Alonso’s success] in a way because he’s a very smart, intelligent guy, very thoughtful. I could feel as a player he was a protector but a protector with a lot of quality.
"He was playing as a six but he could always contribute in the attacking point of view, in every phase of the game. You could see that he was one or two steps ahead. So in that case it doesn’t surprise me.
"But also it should be said that I didn’t expect such an impact in 20, 21 months. They were bottom of the league with five points if I’m not mistaken. He already took the team very far in the conference cup last year and this year he can win the treble.
"It’s incredible and it shows when you’re smart and you know exactly what you’re doing that things can work out very, very well."
Klopp's hopes of Europa League glory ended in Italy against Atalanta after the Reds were unable to revert a 3-0 deficit from the first leg at Anfield. Mohamed Salah scored the only goal in Bergamo, which saw Liverpool defeated 3-1 on aggregate.
In the Premier League, they stand just two points adrift of leaders Manchester City in third place with six games remaining.
