Arne Slot's former coach gives Liverpool verdict it will love to hear

Liverpool was faced with a huge decision this summer. But in choosing to replace Jürgen Klopp with Arne Slot, one of the Dutchman's former coaches believes the Reds could have made an astute call.

Slot began his coaching career in 2016 with Cambuur — alongside his long-time assistant Sipke Hulshoff, who will be following him to Anfield. After that, he excelled with AZ Alkmaar and then Feyenoord, claiming the league title with the latter club.

But before that, Slot was a midfielder, spending time in the Eredivisie as well as the Dutch second division. And while his time as a coach provides the most insight into what he can bring to the table as Klopp's heir, his playing days are also somewhat instructive.

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For one thing, he showed an early desire for marginal gains. The Telegraph has covered his unusual kick-off routine as a player, where he would hoof the ball high into the air, with the aim of making opposing defenders lose sight of it against the sun. Apparently, PEC Zwolle scored seven times as a result of it.

But Slot's former coach Jan Everse focuses less on the specific details. Having worked with the incoming Liverpool manager from 1996, he sees some parallels with Klopp.

“Arne shares some details with Klopp, particularly where they come from," Everse told The Athletic. "Rural men turned city boys. Klopp did it in Dortmund and Arne did it in Rotterdam: working-class cities, similar to Liverpool.

“He is not thinking as the guy from a small village. He always thinks big.”

Everse professed to being '99.9 per cent certain' that Slot will be a success at Liverpool. While the Reds would be a little skeptical that anyone could live up to Klopp, confidence is surely growing with each new ringing endorsement.

Liverpool.com says: It seems Liverpool almost got lucky with Slot. Having devised a scoring system to assess potential new coaches, the Feyenoord boss ranked right at the top — and it just so happens that he has a lot of the desired 'intangibles', too.

Michael Edwards wouldn't have been scoring managers on whether they had worked in working-class port cities before, but it will certainly help Slot grasp the ethos of Liverpool. It's also useful that the top candidate was more than happy to take on the role of 'head coach' rather than manager.

Age was also not a major consideration in Liverpool's search. But at just 45, Slot has all the time in the world to build a dynasty if everything goes according to plan. His former coach seems confident that will be the case.