JURGEN KLOPP has given his seal of approval to “incredible” Xabi Alonso to replace him at Liverpool.

The German will be stepping down at Anfield at the end of the season after nine years in charge.

Jurgen Klopp has hailed Xabi Alonso

The German said that Alonso is the ‘stand-out’ among his rivals

Klopp’s last few months in charge of Liverpool will be captured in a behind-the-scenes documentary.

However, many are keen to discover who will be replacing him in the dugout for next season.

Former Liverpool midfielder Alonso has been touted as one of the top options for the club.

The Spaniard has been working wonders at Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen since his appointment in 2022.

Alonso has the club at the top of the league and as the favourites to put a stop to Bayern Munich’s 11-year reign as champions.

Klopp, 56, has suggested that Alonso is part of the “new generation” of football managers and is the “stand-out” among his peers.

He said: “Xabi is doing an incredible job.

“If there were not the rumours around, that’s completely independent, if you had asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi Alonso, I would have gone ‘Oh my God’.

“The dinosaurs if you want, Ancelotti, Mourinho, Guardiola, maybe me, we will not do it – Ok maybe Mourinho.

“But all the rest of us will not do it for the next 20 years.

“The next generation is already there and I would say Xabi is the stand-out in that department.”

Alonso has reportedly set himself a “secret” plan that relied on succeeding at Bayer Leverkusen.

The manager thinks he’s ready to go the next step and lead teams like Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or Liverpool.

His current BayArena contract expires in 2025.