A case of bad timing has hit Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in their respective searches for new managers.

All three had been looking to appoint a new boss ahead of next season, with Jurgen Klopp and Xavi announcing their intention to step down, while Thomas Tuchel is being sacked.

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Again, Rangnick would appear to be a back-up option and is far from the big-name boss Bayern will have wanted to appoint.

Benitez came off the back of winning two La Liga titles and a UEFA Cup and Jurgen Klopp coming after winning a couple of titles with Borussia Dortmund and getting to a Champions League final.

"Liverpool are in a different area now and fancy themselves to challenge for the Premier League next season and the Champions League, they will be expected to reach the quarter-finals at least.

And that all appears to be playing perfectly into the hands of Real Madrid - who for once seem to be in a relatively stable position.

Carlo Ancelotti's future had at one point looked uncertain, but with another La Liga and Champions League double in his sights, he looks set to stay on for at least one more season