READ MORE: Jose Mourinho sent clear message as Liverpool respond to Coventry goal

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim makes promise about Sporting CP future as Liverpool speculation continues

Consequently, the juxtaposition of the out-of-work Mourinho taking in the Reds’ victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage - which is local to the former Chelsea manager’s West London home, though not as close as Stamford Bridge - did not go unnoticed.

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But despite previous target Xabi Alonso opting to stay put at Bayer Leverkusen and it unclear whether current frontrunner Ruben Amorim is obtainable, Mourinho has not emerged as an alternative for Liverpool.

While onlookers will perhaps cheekily allude to a hypothetical scenario where the Portuguese does return to the Premier League at Anfield, it is understandably not a realistic proposition.

In an interview with the Telegraph he is credited as noting, ‘that the current shortlist does not feature his name.’ As a former Manchester United manager, those Red Devils allegiances inevitably make his availability a moot point when it comes to selecting Klopp’s successor.

Mourinho is still a three-time Premier League winner and two-time Champions League winner, and also got his hands on league titles in Portugal, Italy, and Spain, as well as countless domestic cups across the continent.

That perhaps changed from the moment Klopp walked through the door in 2015, with his first Premier League win coming at the Portuguese and Chelsea’s expense.

When you desperately wanting to win the biggest trophies after years in the wilderness, you are happy to 'deal with the devil' and appoint Mourinho.

Then a Champions League winner with Porto, he instead joined Chelsea as the Reds opted for the Spaniard.

Recalling that summer, Mourinho points out how two decades ago, managers needed to have won big trophies to earn the admiring glances of Premier League giants.

“Benitez won the Spanish league with Valencia [twice] and the Uefa Cup,” he said.

Alonso has just won the Bundesliga as Leverkusen enjoy an unbeaten season after all, and is chasing a treble with a place in the DFB-Pokal final and Europa League semi-finals already secure.

Having played under Mourinho at Real Madrid, it was his Leverkusen side that the Portuguese beat in the Europa League semi-finals last year before losing to Sevilla in the final.

Meanwhile, Amorim is chasing a Portuguese double as he closes in on his second Liga Portugal title, with Sporting also already through to the Taca de Portugal final.

He is already a three-time Taca de Liga winner, while a Europa League round-of-16 loss to Atalanta ended his hopes of a possible treble this season.

Both are still very young of course, with Alonso 42 years old and Amorim 39 years old.
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