Who next for Reds?

A host of former Liverpool favourites told Sky Sports News who should replace Rafael Benitez.

Former stars ponder the future for Reds

After six years at the helm of Liverpool Football Club, Rafael Benitez has left Anfield by mutual consent. And the big question now is: who will replace the Spaniard? Expectations are high at Anfield, but with the future ownership of the club in doubt - let alone the futures of star players such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres - who will be the man to bring stability to the red half of Merseyside? Established Premier League managers such as Martin O'Neill and Roy Hodgson have been linked with the post, as well as European names such as Guus Hiddink. Or will a former Anfield favourite such as Kenny Dalglish be persuaded to step into the role? And what qualities must the next manager have in order to take the club forward? Sky Sports News asked a range of former Kop favourites - including Phil Thompson, Jamie Redknapp and David Fairclough to give their views on who they would like to see in the Liverpool hotseat...

Jamie Redknapp (Liverpool 1991-2002)

"It's a difficult one as the club is not in a good financial state at the moment. I imagine they would have had to pay Rafa a huge amount of money to leave. You would then have to pay another manager an awful lot and then pay a compensation package to the club you want to take that manager from. Obviously Roy Hodgson is going to get named - he has had a wonderful season at Fulham. I think you have a man already there at the club who can already do the job and that is Kenny Dalglish. "The players respect him, he is world renowned. He is a really good coach and he would be absolutely perfect to take that club forward if you ask me. He is there and he knows the club. People may say that he has been out of the game too long but if you speak to him he knows every player and watches every single game that is on TV. He has watched Liverpool over the last two years very closely and knows exactly what they need and I think he will be the man to give the club the stability they need."

Phil Thompson (Liverpool 1971-84)

"We need our star players if we are going to make any impact next year. And it's not just on the playing field; we have a worldwide fanbase of 100million people and they need star names - that is why we need Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard staying there. I don't know who they'll go for but hopefully when they make the decision, someone different will come in and hopefully they can make those players commit to the club for at least another 12 months."

John Aldridge (Liverpool 1987-89)

"That's the million-dollar question. There's some excellent acquisitions out there. Liverpool's a huge club with a huge history and it's a great challenge. Guus Hiddink is a great manager, Martin O'Neill in my opinion is a fantastic manager, but would they come to the club? Would the respective teams that they manage let them come to the club? It's a big, big question. I don't think Kenny (Dalglish) would want the job first and foremost - he may be a bit long in tooth - but he's certainly become a big part at Anfield over the past few months and would certainly be a trusted figure to go out and negotiate on behalf of the club with Christian Purslow."

Paul Walsh (Liverpool 1984-88)

"The owners have got to get a new manager quickly and that's where the problem starts really. It's easy to say get rid of Benitez - I'm certainly one of those people, not in a horrible way, who thought it was time for a change - but finding a replacement is quite a big problem. Kenny Dalglish can do the job - he's already proven that he can do it; he loves the club and wants to be in and around it but I think he probably doesn't want the day-to-day stress of the manager's job. I'm not sure, that's just my gut feeling. Certainly if they needed a manager in the short-term Kenny could do it. Whether it is a Guus Hiddink, who I think would be a great choice for Liverpool, or Martin O'Neill - there's been a bit of uncertainty at Aston Villa - it's hard to tell. If Liverpool come crashing in and think he's the man I think most people will be happy with that."

David Fairclough (Liverpool 1974-83)

"Well obviously the club will be hoping to attract a big name but perhaps the uncertainty about the ownership remains a hurdle that they will have to get over. In the meantime I think maybe we will have to lower our hopes a little bit. There will be a lot of names linked and who knows if one of the big names is going to agree to come to Liverpool while the question mark about ownership remains a big doubt. If you are going to go for a big name - ie a Guus Hiddink or someone of that calibre, which is a calibre that Liverpool deserve and want - I think they are going to be a little bit reluctant given the current problems. So perhaps there is an interim type appointment that gets us over this question mark of whether they are going to sell the club or not."

Phil Neal (Liverpool 1974-85)

"I'd sooner not say really, but someone we can afford, someone that can come in and put the thing right. Maybe a stabilising older player like Kenny (Dalglish) who can get [the club] back to some kind of consistency and will lead us to challenge for the top positions in the Premier League."