Next Liverpool manager: Reds all but rule out hiring 'incredible' 44-year-old

Liverpool have virtually ruled out hiring one of the favourites to be their next manager. They’ll be focusing on other targets.

Sky Sports report that Roberto De Zerbi is no longer the focus of Liverpool's managerial hunt. The Italian has been one of the absolute favourites for the job since Jurgen Klopp announced he'd step down.

In fact, Klopp himself labelled De Zerbi 'incredible' recently ahead of their meeting at the weekend.

"It is incredible what he has done," said Klopp, per the BBC.

"Brighton have lost Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo, they have lots of injuries, but he puts a team like that together. An incredible job."

But it appears Liverpool don't see him as the right manager for them. Sky Sports claim De Zerbi was indeed on the original shortlist but isn't on the revised list.

The Reds will instead move forward to focus on other targets, with De Zerbi instead finding himself in the crosshairs of Bayern Munich. Both Liverpool and Bayern are moving on to new targets after Xabi Alonso rejected them.

Liverpool move on from Roberto De Zerbi

Taking De Zerbi off the shortlist means there's either a real flaw Liverpool see in him or they've whittled the shortlist down to just a couple of names. It's difficult to believe, after all, that a large shortlist wouldn't still see the Italian on it - there just aren't that many better options.

One option that has been consistently placed ahead of De Zerbi is Sporting CP's Ruben Amorim. There's no question that he remains on the shortlist, in fact.

But beyond him? There are names like Julian Nagelsmann and Simone Inzaghi - neither have been strongly linked with the job, though. So while it's possible that Liverpool have some surprise names up their sleeve, it feels more like they're now focusing strongly on Amorim.