Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has been quizzed about the Reds' search for a new manager after Arne Slot was sacked by the club
Michael Owen is interviewed by Sky Sports reporter Matt Chapman
Michael Owen is interviewed by Sky Sports reporter Matt Chapman(Image: Sky Sports / At The Races)
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Former Liverpool star Michael Owen gave an awkward response during an interview where he was asked who he thinks could be the club's next manager. The Reds are looking for a new boss following the departure of Arne Slot from the Anfield dugout on Saturday.
Slot left Liverpool with a Premier League title under his belt and guided the Reds to a fifth-place finish in his second season, which was enough to qualify for the Champions League.
Liverpool are now searching for a replacement, with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola the frontrunner for the job.
The Reds are expected to hold talks with Iraola’s representatives this week about a potential deal to bring the 43-year-old to Merseyside, with Liverpool keen to confirm the appointment of a new manager before the start of the World Cup on June 11.
Owen was at Chester Races on Saturday and was interviewed by Sky Sports reporter Matt Chapman, who asked the former Liverpool striker about the club's search for a new manager.
Chapman asked: "If you could pick a manager for Liverpool, who would you pick?"
In response, Owen said: "It looks like Iraola might have a chance, doesn't it? The Bournemouth manager. Do you know him?"
Chapman then stated he does not know Iraola, before Owen added: "I know him very well."
Owen then aimed a dig at Chapman with his next remark. The former striker said: "I love the way you ask football questions, but you don't know anything about football."
Andoni Iraola during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield.
Andoni Iraola has been linked with the vacant Liverpool job(Image: Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
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Chapman, a Tottenham Hotspur fan, then joked back: "I know about survival in the Premier League, and that's all that matters."
Owen then got the last word in the interview by saying: "Liverpool are a bit more than that, I think, but anyway."
Iraola is still viewed as the favourite to land the Liverpool manager's job, with it understood that the Spanish coach is seen as the ideal candidate for the role.
The 43-year-old guided Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League, the highest position in the club’s history, which also resulted in qualification for the Europa League for the first time.