Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not currently one of the top two managers in European football, according to BT Sport pundits Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand.
The former Manchester United and England duo instead believe Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti lead the way, with both their side's once again facing off in the Champions League semi-final.
Speaking ahead of the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, Ferdinand insisted Ancelotti and Guardiola are the two leading managerial figures in the game due to the longevity of their success.
However, the 44-year-old remarkably failed to mention the Reds boss when discussing other contenders but did namecheck Jose Mourinho.
READ MORE: Liverpool make Premier League request as Anfield Road opening date moves nearer
READ MORE: Arsenal give Liverpool hope in Champions League fight after top four changes
"For me, these two are head and shoulders [above everyone else]," said Ferdinand. "Mourinho? He is doing a great job at Roma, but these two for history and for now stand alone."
Joining in on the debate that took centre stage ahead of kick-off in the Spanish capital, Owen, who started his career at Anfield and later spent eight years in the Reds' first-team, admitted a European Cup would go a long way to cementing Guardiola's legacy and silencing any noise around his legacy at Manchester City.
"I think Pep [Guardiola] is the best [manager in the world], personally, but I do think that he needs to win this competition with Manchester City to put the icing on the cake," said Owen.
"Yes, he’s done it before, he’s done it with great teams. He is an unbelievable manager and for me, it won’t take him to, but for the general public, they’d want to see him win it with another team.
"This is the team that Pep built, he’s been here quite a while now, he probably ought to be winning it with the quality. Listen, Man City have been one of the best teams - if not the best team - in Europe for the last two or three seasons anyway, so really they should be winning one now."
Ancelotti defeated Klopp in last season's Champions League final in Paris, with Vinicius Jr's second-half strike ending Liverpool's hopes of securing a seventh European Cup. Such a triumph moved the legendary Italian manager ahead of former Reds boss Bob Paisley in the European annals as he became the first manager to win the competition four times.
READ NEXT:
- Fulham star makes Anfield admission after rejecting Liverpool for move to London
- Liverpool midfielder Arthur speaks out on Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
- Tottenham Hotspur 'join race' for Kelleher as Liverpool valuation named
- Man United can't ignore 'terrible' David De Gea truth that Liverpool can exploit
- Cody Gakpo makes new Liverpool position admission
