Martin O'Neill: Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner insisted in May that Liverpool are "not taking" O'Neill away from the club but having enjoyed both success and stability at Villa Park - two commodities that have been rare indeed at Anfield in recent years - and established a legacy of success at Celtic and Leicester City before that, O'Neill has the required stature. He also has experience of working to a tight budget, which may place him in a strong position.

Roy Hodgson: His stock has never been higher after taking Fulham to the Europa League final - something that Benitez failed to do with Liverpool. Hodgson could even be contending with the Spaniard for the vacant Inter Milan job, and is seen as a future England manager, but if a return to Italy is not on the agenda, then Hodgson's vast experience and widespread popularity will make him a strong candidate to take over at Anfield.

Kenny Dalglish: A bona fide Liverpool legend, Dalglish returned to the club in July 2009 to take on a role at the club's academy and act as a club ambassador. As manager of the Reds, Dalglish secured the Double in 1986 and secured further league titles in 1988 and 1990 before announcing his shock resignation in February 1991. Though he won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1995, and had further spells with Newcastle and Celtic, Dalglish enjoys an intimate relationship with Liverpool fans. He will be involved in the process of finding Benitez's replacement, but has a chance himself.

Guus Hiddink: The Dutchman, whose only spell in English football saw him lift the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2009, is an outside prospect given that only recently he was appointed Turkey manager and has already turned down overtures from Inter Milan. Hiddink won the Treble for PSV Eindhoven in 1988 and won six Eredivsie titles in two spells at the club, as well as managing Real Madrid. At international level, he steered South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup and Russia to the final four of Euro 2008.

Mark Hughes: Another outsider, Hughes will only reduce his popularity among Manchester United fans further if he follows his departure from Manchester City in December by becoming manager of Liverpool. Hughes was used to spending vast sums of money at City before being dismissed for failing to keep the club on the right "trajectory", but under a tight budget at Blackburn he established a reputation as one of the brightest managerial talents in England.