ANDY HUNTER Brendan Rodgers is to remain the Liverpool manager following a review with Tom Werner, the club chairman, and Mike Gordon, the president of Fenway Sports Group.

The 42-year-old had been under pressure after a dismal end to the season that culminated in a 6-1 loss at Stoke City, Liverpool’s heaviest defeat in 52 years, no silverware for the third year of his reign and failure to qualify for the Champions League, despite a £117m (€160m) investment in new players.

However, having met the two members of the Anfield hierarchy who are leading a wide-ranging review into what went wrong in 2014-15, Rodgers has been assured his position is safe and that he remains FSG’s man going into next season.

Plan for improvement

Rodgers met Werner and Gordon in Liverpool on Tuesday after they arrived on Merseyside on Monday night. The three had a two-hour debrief, although Rodgers and Gordon had held meetings since the end of the season, at which all parties agreed on “a comprehensive plan for improvement” at Anfield.

The talks have been described as “good and productive” but Liverpool have not divulged what the plan for improvement entails. The club’s transfer committee has been heavily criticised for a series of poor signings and a failure to acquire leading targets in recent windows but Rodgers had stated his support for the FSG model prior to the review.

Rodgers has long advocated more established Premier League signings to balance the owners’ strategy of acquiring young, developing talent.

With the free transfer of James Milner believed to be close, Burnley's Danny Ings also favouring a move to Anfield, Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke a leading target and Nathaniel Clyne the subject of a £10m (€13.75m) bid from Liverpool, albeit rejected by Southampton, it appears the manager's argument has been accepted to a degree by the club's owners. Guardian Service