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João Palhinha has been speaking on one possible managerial candidate for the Liverpool job next season.

Jurgen Klopp’s shock announcement in January still does not feel real, but the reality is that Liverpool need a new manager for next season sooner rather than later.

With the appointment of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, the search for Klopp’s successor is set to accelerate.

Xabi Alonso is still thought to be the frontrunner at this stage, with one report suggesting that that Liverpool is set to ‘break the bank’ to bring the Spaniard back to Merseyside.

But one manager who seems to be firmly in second place after Alonso is Sporting boss Ruben Amorim.

The Reds have reportedly scouted Sporting on plenty of occasions to get a feel of the Portuguese manager’s playstyle.

He is a three-time Portuguese League Cup winner, two with Sporting and one with Braga.

Additionally, he won the Primeira Liga with Sporting in the 2020/21 season.

Impressively, he boasts a 70% win rate as a manager after over 200 games [sofascore].

It is believed that Amorim scored highly on internal data tests conducted by the Anfield club.

But his reported world record release clause of £25million could prove a significant hurdle should Liverpool want to lure Amorim to Merseyside.

Nevertheless, Fulham star João Palhinha has backed his former manager to be a hit at Liverpool.

What did João Palhinha say about Ruben Amorim and Liverpool?

The 28-year-old Fulham man is familiar with the manager because he spent two years at Sporting under Amorim’s tutelage in 2020 and 2022.

During the 2020–21 season, they won two more cups in addition to the Premiera Liga (Portuguese first division).

Speaking to O Jogo (via Sport Witness), the Portuguese international suggested that Amorim has experience managing in high-pressure environments.

“Yes [he could manage Liverpool], of course, although the pressure is different.”

“When you coach a big Portuguese club, you have the pressure of the fans and the size of the club itself, which forces you to win.”

“When you coach Liverpool, you have the pressure of the fans, the club and the whole world.”

“The way it’s growing, I think it’s only a matter of time.”

Palhinha then went on to say that he doesn’t expect Amorim to be in Portugal for much longer:

“Rúben is a very good coach, one of the best in Portugal, he’s done an excellent job since Braga.”

“He has an in-depth knowledge of the game and has a close relationship with the players.”

“The way he’s growing, he won’t be in Portugal much longer.”

“It won’t be for lack of opportunities that he won’t leave Portugal.”

“He has dreams and ambitions of winning another title for Sporting and then the future will be in his hands.”