Kenny Dalglish unsure about Liverpool sporting director decision

Kenny Dalglish isn't 100% sure about Liverpool's decision on their next sporting director. The Reds' legend has his own ideas.

Kenny Dalglish doesn't know if Liverpool are going about their upcoming sporting director decision correctly. Dalglish was talking to No Tippy Tappy Football when the question came up.

Should Liverpool be hiring their sporting director before confirming a new manager? After all, the Reds need both this year. Jorg Schmadtke has left the club after a year as sporting director and Jurgen Klopp will depart at the end of the season.

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"People do it different ways, don't they?" said Dalglish. "They bring in a sporting director first and then they bring a manager in. Not for me, it would be the other way around.

Dalglish and Man Utd comparison

"But at the end of the day, you have a look at what Manchester United are going through at the moment. They're bringing a sporting director in - have they consulted with the manager?

"If I'm [Erik] Ten Hag and they're bringing in a sporting director, and I wasn't happy with him, I would have thought 'you better book your flight home pal'."

There's little doubt, then, that Dalglish feels that in an ideal world, you'd hire the manager first. But it seems that it's more about making sure there are clearly defined roles at the club.

"It's important to have a sporting director," he went on to say. "But it's also important for everybody that's involved in developing the football team to have your own place.

"You're not a manager, you're a sporting director. You do your job, I'll do my job and if we both do it to the best of our ability, we've got a better chance of being successful."

Dalglish worked with a sporting director at Liverpool in Damien Comolli, only things didn't quite work out. It's very possible that he's speaking from experience here, then, as a manager who felt the sporting director didn't mesh well.

It's largely about where you see the hierarchy. If the director is above the manager, then you do need to hire him first. The other way around? Then having the manager on board first makes sense.

Ultimately, Dalglish's point is that both should be level - and focused on their own separate jobs. In that case, it doesn't really matter what way around you do the hiring.

It's a difficult one to manage, that's for sure, but Liverpool must do it in 2024. Getting it right will define their short-term and possibly long-term future.