Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has backed Steven Gerrard to replace Jurgen Klopp in the Anfield dugout should he go on to seal an expected title triumph at Ibrox this year.
The former Reds caretaker boss admitted he does not see the German coach - who delivered Liverpool's first league title in 30 years at the tail end of last season - giving up the reins any time in the near future, but explained they have a ready made replacement in club icon Gerrard.
The Rangers boss would follow the career path of Graeme Souness should Thompson's prediction come true after the ex-Ibrox gaffer took over from Kenny Dalglish in 1991.
The 66-year-old briefly served as a coach under the former Gers player-manager at Anfield and said Gerrard has earned his stripes to make the step up at the club where he lifted the Champions League as a player.
He told the From the Horse's Mouth podcast: “If it was good enough for Graeme to get his first managerial job at Rangers and then get Liverpool off the back of it, I would think Steven’s got a fair chance of succeeding Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
“Rangers were in a better position when Graeme went in there than what they were under Stevie.
“Stevie took on a very difficult job at Rangers. It wasn’t easy going in there with the success of Celtic.
"I feared for him because I thought they were so far behind that it would take five to seven years before you could change things.
“But Celtic got a bit sloppy and Stevie has recruited very well. So he’s obviously the one that comes to mind when it comes to the next Liverpool manager.”
Rangers extended their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership to 19 points with an Old Firm derby win over rivals Celtic at Ibrox on Saturday.
A win over Southampton on Monday evening will see Liverpool move three points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the Premier League table as they bid for a second straight title for the first time since 1984.
Klopp has indicated he will depart Anfield after his current contract ends in 2024 and while Thompson is under no illusions of the difficulty in following the German's achievements, he believes Gerrard has a better chance than most.
“If Liverpool carry on, as I hope, winning trophies, it will be difficult to follow Klopp," he said.
"But Steven also had two years as a youth coach at Liverpool, watched how Jurgen worked, how he coached and trained.
"So he had a good insight into how Klopp does things – which will help him going forward because you’d not like to deviate too much if you do come down here."
Paddy Power’s podcast, From The Horse’s Mouth, can be found at podfollow.com/horsesmouth
