Tommy Elphick, Liverpool's first-team coach, has been tipped to become a manager in his own right by former team-mate Alan Hutton after "soaking up" the experience of coaching at one of the biggest football clubs in the world.
Elphick followed Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth to Anfield after the former Spain international was confirmed as Liverpool's new head coach in June, along with Shaun Cooper, Pablo de la Torre and Tom Webber. The previous week, it had emerged that the highly-rated Elphick had turned down the opportunity to move into management with Championship outfit Bristol City.
At that stage, the 39-year-old looked set to remain at Bournemouth and become part of Marco Rose's new coaching team following the departure of Iraola. But Elphick, a boyhood Liverpool fan, instead followed the Basque to Anfield, where he is working as first-team coach.
Hutton backs Elphick for top job
Former Scotland, Rangers and Tottenham Hotspur right-back Alan Hutton played alongside Elphick at Aston Villa and, speaking to BOYLE Sports, said: "Tommy Elphick was an absolute 'stick-on' to go into coaching. You just knew it, instantly."
"He came into Aston Villa and he was captain and you could just tell he was a leader in the way he spoke. If there was ever an issue or a problem, he'd help you out. He'd help anybody out, the new players or whoever needed him."
"You could just see it in him to take it to that next level once he retired so it's a great move for him to go from Bournemouth to continue working with Andoni Iraola at Liverpool. It's a great next step for him, and such a great learning curve too. He'll be soaking everything in."
"At some stage he I'm sure he'll want to step out on his own though because he's got those characteristics where he wants to be the main man and be the leader, so I would expect that in the future."
Bournemouth legend reveals scale of Liverpool
While Elphick or any of the coaches who followed Iraola have spoken publicly since their moves to Merseyside, Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher revealed recently they have been blown away by what they have found.
He said: "Liverpool is a global phenomenon, and they're going to expect big things. The only difference he will experience from being the manager at Bournemouth is that the expectation level at Liverpool Football Club is beyond belief."
"My two friends who are the coaches – Tommy Elphick and Sean Cooper – I speak to them on a regular basis. They've gone up with Andoni to Liverpool, and they just said the magnitude of this football club is beyond belief after touring America for two weeks."
"They said: 'The levels of support out there – you get off the coach, and 400 people are waiting at the hotel'. It's just on another scale…the expectation level will be very different to what it was at Bournemouth."
"Losing our manager Andoni was a blow for the football club. He waited right until the end of the season because he loved the club so much; he hadn't made his mind up, but I think the Liverpool thing came quite quickly."
"I don't think it was something that was planned much in advance. I think the opportunity came along, and how could you turn it down, you know? It's one of the biggest clubs in the world."
Positive start for Iraola's Reds
Iraola and his new coaching team have made a positive start with Liverpool, who remain unbeaten after five Premier League matches, winning two, including last time out at Bournemouth, and drawing three.
Liverpool have also progressed to the last-16 of the Carabao Cup and got off to a winning start in the Champions League. Next up for Iraola's side is a huge Premier League clash at home to Manchester City on Sunday, October 11.
