Leeds United Championship rivals see manager labelled as 'outside shout' for Liverpool job

Southampton manager Russell Martin could be an outside bet to take over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield this summer. That's according to Peterborough United owner and Liverpool supporter Darragh MacAnthony, who is tipping Martin to reach the very top of the game.

Martin has only been at Southampton since the summer, but he has succeeded in turning the relegated club around to make a strong push for promotion at the first time of asking. The Saints are currently second in the Championship table, a point better off than Leeds United having played a game less, and they'll be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 25 games in all competitions when they take on Huddersfield Town on Saturday. As such, with just 17 games left to play, they're sitting pretty and perfectly poised for a push for a spot in the competition's top two.

The St Mary's position is Martin's third job in management, having spent time on the touchline at MK Dons and Swansea City previously. Russell has never managed in the Premier League, of course, but MacAnthony believes such a step up is only a matter of time.

The Irishman also expects Martin to start appearing on the radars of some of the top flight's biggest club's sooner rather than later, with Liverpool a possibility.

“An outside shout would be I think somebody who’s going to manage anyway at the top, and they wouldn’t get a chance now, they would have to prove it, but would be Russell Martin," MacAnthony said on his podcast The Hard Truth. “I think when he takes Southampton up, and he finishes top half, with his style of play, I think bigger clubs will come in and take him.”

Xabi Alonso is the current favourite with the bookmakers to succeed the departing Klopp, while the likes of Ruben Amorim, Pep Lijnders, Roberto De Zerbi and Thomas Frank all feature highly on the odds lists.