Five candidates to become Liverpool’s NEXT assistant manager

After one year at the club, Johnny Heitinga could be moving onto pastures new.

The former Everton player has played a key role behind the scenes in Arne Slot's coaching staff. Heitinga has been Slot's assistant manager alongside Sipke Hulshoff and has played his part in helping Liverpool lift the Premier League title.

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But he's off to bigger and better things. Well, that's according to Fabrizio Romano, anyway. He claims that Liverpool have given permission for Heitinga to talk to Ajax about becoming the Dutch side's new head coach.

Now obviously this a huge opportunity for Heitinga. It's probably one of the most coveted jobs for any Dutch managers so it makes sense why Liverpool would not stand in his way.

Undoubtedly, though, he will be a loss in the dressing room. Heitinga has played a key role in helping the players bond with the coaching staff and his role is going to need to be replaced.

As Romano has claimed Liverpool are already looking at replacements.

But just who could these replacements be?

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Marino Pusic

He's the most obvious candidate on paper. Pusic worked as Slot's assistant at both AZ Alkmaar and Feyenoord. He has been in charge of Shakhtar Donetsk since parting ways with the Liverpool boss.

Pusic has been successful with Shakhtar winning the league last season however he missed out on the title this season.

And such is the nature of the job, he's now out of employment. Perhaps a move to Anfield might just tempt him to return as an assistant manager.

I mean the prospect of working with elite players and learning from the best might just be the step that Pusic needs.

Steven Gerrard

Maybe this is wishful thinking but the Liverpool legend should be a candidate. Nobody loves the club more than Gerrard. He's a competent footballing man, too.

He's won the league title with Rangers as manager and while things haven't worked out for him at Aston Villa and in Saudi Arabia, his credentials as a manager and coach should not be underestimated.

Just look at the key role he played in the early development of Curtis Jones while he was the club's U18 manager. Gerrard does seem to get the best out of individuals and he could be a good bridge between the players and the coaching staff.

Undoubtedly, his return would be massively welcomed by the Anfield crowd as well. Gerrard simply belongs in Liverpool.

Dirk Kuy

He's Dutch and he knows what it means to play for Liverpool. Kuyt has a good working relationship with the club and continues to play in legends games at Anfield.

He's a manager who has worked at Feyenoord's youth teams including as the club's U19 manager although not while Slot was at the club. However, after his position as the U19 team's manager, Kuyt shadowed Slot as well, learning from the now Liverpool boss.

Kuyt will know a lot of the young talents in the Netherlands because of his time as a youth coach.

Kuyt's experience as a head-coach has been a mixed bag. He's struggled in the Netherlands, then became champion in the Belgian second tier with Beerschot and now he's struggling to keep them up in the top tier and looks destined for relegation, currently sitting bottom of the relegation table.

As an assistant coach he would be a brilliant addition. Kuyt will know Liverpool's players well and the club's coaching staff. He will have no trouble settling in, and he could hone his coaching skills under one of the best coaching staffs in the world right now.

Thiago

He's taking his coaching badges at the moment and had a coaching role at Barcelona earlier this season. But he returned to Liverpool after that brief stint.

What he's doing now is a mystery but we'd love to have him back at Anfield. Thiago is the epitome of a player who possessed both unreal technical ability and an outstanding footballing brain.

We are absolutely certain he will become a great coach one day and he could already be a brilliant addition to replace Heitinga.

Not only will he be able to teach some of Liverpool's young midfielders who look up to him, like Trey Nyoni, but he also knows most of this team as teammates.

That will mean he'll be trusted by the players.

Fernando Torres

The former cult hero at Anfield has been flirting with the club in recent years. Before a legend's game, last year Torres revealed he was a big fan of Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing football and Lijnders' book.

Now the Spaniard has been making great strides in his managerial career at Atletico Madrid.

Working his way through the youth sides, Torres has managed Atletico's U19 team and has earned himself a promotion as the club's manager of the 'B' team this season.

Torres plays quick attacking football, with his preference for the 4-2-3-1 formation. He looks like a promising manager and he'd be great at shooting drills in training.

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He's a wildcard option, but we wouldn't complain if he did return back to the Reds.