What next for Pep Lijnders? Liverpool assistant reveals what future holds after confirming he will depart Anfield with Jurgen Klopp

Lijnders has announced that he will be leaving the club together with Klopp alongside assistant manager Peter Krawietz and development coach Vitor Matos after almost nine years in charge at the club. Speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, he revealed that he has not made any decisions regarding his own future as Liverpool look to end Klopp's tenure on a high note.

Quizzed on whether there was ever any chance of him taking over the top job at Anfield, he replied: "Nah. I was really clear to be honest. When we had the talk a long time ago, for me it was clear. It made it easier for me when he [Klopp] said 'this will be it'. We knew in the summer already 'OK, we are going towards the end of this project'.

"Here I am talking too much about me...we play in a final in 48 hours the final and we are talking about Jurgen leaving. I understand, so I think I have given already answers in interviews. So we spoke, I got the last year offers and my heart says yes, but my loyalty, respect and friendship to Mike [Gordon] and Jurgen said 'no'. So on the moment we spoke we agreed to finish this project together, then I will go an manage.

"I feel it's the project of a lot of people. And it is the right way to do it like this. That the club will find a new coach with new elements. I am excited to manage. To go to find the right club who really wants [me]. But until the last final of the season I am focused on Liverpool and don't even know what's happening now. That is why we have agents, no?"

The departure of Lijnders and his team will free up the selected new coach to bring in staff members of their own. Due to his outstanding performance at Bayer Leverkusen, former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has been the clear choice for the position ever since Klopp made his announcement. In the Bundesliga, Alonso's team leads Bayern Munich by eight points. He has also been linked with Bayern, though, who will part ways with Thomas Tuchel at the end of the current campaign.

Lijnders has made sure to keep his and his team's focus on the targets at hand as they are still alive in all four competitions and could go on to challenge for the quadruple in Klopp's farewell. They will be in action next when they take on Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup on Sunday, February 25.