Jurgen Klopp has hailed his potential successor Xabi Alonso as the "stand-out" manager of his generation.
Alonso, whose Bayer Leverkusen side are top of the Bundesliga, has been tipped to replace Klopp having won the Champions League with Liverpool as a player.
While Klopp stopped short of officially endorsing the 42-year-old, his praise for the "exceptional" Spaniard will be read with interest by the decision-makers at Anfield.
'Xabi is doing an incredible job,' acknowledged Klopp, who leaves at the end of the season.
'The 'dinosaurs' like Ancelotti, Mourinho, Guardiola and myself will not do it for 20 more years but the next generation is already there.