Who will fill Dalglish's boots at Liverpool?

Rafael Benitez

Former Anfield boss Benitez is the immediate front-runner following Dalglish’s axing and his return would be popular with the club’s fans. The Spaniard guided Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League title and the FA Cup the following season but a subsequent barren spell and a seventh-placed finish in 2010 saw him leave the club. A subsequent spell at Inter Milan lasted only six months and he has been unemployed since.

Roberto Martinez

Another Spanish contender, Martinez has won plaudits after leading Wigan to Premier League survival via a remarkable late-season surge featuring victories over Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and, yes, Liverpool as they won seven of their last nine games. The passing football which has served Martinez well with the Latics and previously Swansea would also be popular at Anfield.

Frank Rijkaard

The Dutchman turned around an under-performing Barcelona team, winning the La Liga in both 2005 and 2006 to lay the foundations for the dominant team subsequently developed by Pep Guardiola. He has drifted away from the limelight in subsequent spells with Galatasaray and then the Saudi Arabia national team, with whom he failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

Brendan Rodgers

Rodgers has been lauded throughout his Swansea side’s impressive debut season in the Premier League, which saw them finish 11th playing an enjoyable passing style. The step up to Liverpool would see him face a significantly higher public profile, though, and he would face scepticism from fans with bitter memories of Roy Hodgson’s unsuccessful spell after being recruited from Fulham.

Paul Lambert

Like Rodgers, Lambert has won plaudits for guiding a promoted team – in his case Norwich – to a mid-table finish (12th) in their first season in the top flight. He moved to a bigger club when he traded Colchester for Norwich in 2009, indicating his ambition as a manager, and could be in the frame for the Anfield post.

Didier Deschamps

The former Chelsea midfielder is very familiar with English football and was sounded out by Roman Abramovich to replace Andre Villas-Boas at the London club. He guided Monaco to the Champions League final in 2004 and also won the French title with Marseille in 2010. He held talks with Liverpool about succeeding Benitez but admitted the time was not right to leave Marseille.

Jurgen Klopp

Klopp has won two successive Bundesliga championships with Borussia Dortmund, and his achievements on a modest budget in Germany would attract Liverpool’s owners. Tempting the 44-year-old out of the Champions League amid fierce competition should Klopp become available, however, may be difficult.