Thank you, Richard Hughes: You SAVED Liverpool from a complete disaster

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has quite clearly saved the club. He deserves all the thanks he can get.

Richard Hughes was appointed as Liverpool's permanent sporting director last year, replacing Jorg Schmadtke.

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Schmadtke was always a temporary appointment for the Reds, arriving on short notice after Julian Ward's surprise resignation from the role. He actually left ahead of the January transfer window last year, leaving Liverpool with a void to fill.

But that was far from the only void that needed filling. Jurgen Klopp announced in January 2024 that he'd step down as manager, forcing Liverpool to find a new head coach.

That couldn't happen until a sporting director arrived, however. There was a lengthy wait but eventually, Hughes made the jump from Bournemouth.

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It made sense. Hughes knows Michael Edwards very well, having worked together at Portsmouth, and his record with the Cherries was fantastic.

Hughes then had an immediate job - to help Liverpool find someone to replace Klopp. While he didn't technically take up the SD role until the end of the season, Hughes was ultimately the one who made the call for the Reds.

Arne Slot or Ruben Amorim

For the longest time, it appeared Ruben Amorim was destined to be the next Liverpool boss. He was producing magic with Sporting and was the name most heavily linked with the club in the media.

Most thought he would be the next Liverpool boss. Then the Reds suddenly rejected him, with an ill-advised trip to talk with West Ham United being taken as a poor attempt to pressure the club into a decision.

Hughes picked Arne Slot instead - and what a decision that's been. Slot has Liverpool at the top of the Premier League, having finished first in the UEFA Champions League league phase.

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Only Jose Mourinho has picked up more points in their first 25 matches as a Premier League boss. It's been spectacular.

But it could have been Amorim. The Portuguese coach joined Manchester United back in October, replacing Erik Ten Hag and giving Liverpool fans are glimpse of what could have been.

And what it could have been is absolutely awful. Amorim is struggling badly with what is admittedly a very poor United squad.

They're sitting in 15th, quite staggeringly, having won eight and lost 12. His win rate across all competitions is a meagre 42 per cent - all in all, it's been terrible.

The Daily Mail now reports that United's players are losing confidence already. They're not really believing in Amorim's methods anymore, believing that the small amount of success has come from individual class, rather than his ideas.

"The feeling is, 'We got away with one but we might not be so lucky next time'," one dressing-room source told Mail Sport.

So again: Thank You, Richard Hughes. You may not have delivered any major signings, nor are the contract situations sorted out.

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But you absolutely nailed the head coach hire. Amorim may have performed a hell of a lot better with Liverpool's squad than United's but it's increasingly clear that the Reds got the better coach.

Slot is brilliant - Amorim appears not to be. At least, that's the sense at United right now. Liverpool would be suffering if Hughes had got his decision wrong.

Instead, he got it right - and Liverpool are flying as a result.

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