Jamie Carragher has admitted he has reservations about Liverpool's expected move for Andoni Iraola, despite the Bournemouth boss being widely regarded as one of the Premier League's brightest managerial talents.
The Reds are searching for a new direction after bringing Arne Slot's reign to an abrupt end following a disappointing campaign that saw Liverpool fall well below expectations.
Iraola has emerged as the leading candidate to take charge at Anfield after guiding Bournemouth into Europe for the first time in the club's history, but Carragher believes there are still important questions the Spaniard must answer.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, the Liverpool legend praised Iraola's exciting style of football but suggested the jump to one of Europe's biggest clubs may have arrived sooner than expected.
"When Slot came in, people weren't quite sure who he was," Carragher said.
"But he'd won the league with Feyenoord and had experience of European football.
"With Iraola, we watch his Bournemouth team every week. Nobody can deny they're exciting to watch."
Bournemouth won widespread praise for their aggressive pressing and high-energy style under Iraola last season, earning a sixth-place finish and a place in European competition.
Jamie Carragher has admitted he has reservations about Liverpool's expected move for Andoni Iraola, despite the Bournemouth boss being widely regarded as one of the Premier League's brightest managerial talents
|YOUTUBE/THE OVERLAP
However, Carragher believes managing a club competing on multiple fronts presents an entirely different challenge.
The former defender argued that the next stage of Iraola's development should have been proving his methods can survive the demands of a European schedule.
"I actually said last season that I thought Iraola would be making a mistake leaving Bournemouth," Carragher explained.
"The next thing he needed to prove was that he could manage that style of football over a European season.
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Andoni Iraola worked wonders during his time at Bournemouth with a move to Liverpool now on the cards | PA"When you're in Europe you've got to rotate, you've got to manage players physically and keep the team performing."
Carragher pointed to former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as an example, noting that the German first demonstrated his credentials at Borussia Dortmund before taking charge at Anfield.
"It almost feels like it's a year too soon," he said.
"Not too early, but Klopp had to prove that his football could work in Europe before taking the next step. That still needed to be proven by Iraola."
One of Carragher's biggest concerns centres around Liverpool's recent injury record.
A number of key players struggled with fitness issues throughout the campaign and the former England international questioned whether Iraola's demanding style could place additional strain on the squad.
"That's the feeling," Carragher said. "Do they get injuries?
"If you look at most of his seasons in management, his teams tend to drop off in the second half of the season."
Arne Slot was axed by Liverpool after the Reds finished fifth in the Premier League table | GETTYHe added that Bournemouth's strong finish last season was something of an exception compared with previous campaigns under the Spaniard.
"I think last season was probably the first time one of his teams had a really good second half of the season," Carragher continued.
"These are things you have to take into account.
"Does the intensity have to drop off? Are you getting too many injuries? Are there too many games?"
Carragher also highlighted another significant difference between Bournemouth and Liverpool.
At Anfield, opponents often sit deep and surrender possession, meaning Iraola may need to show a different side to his coaching abilities.
"You're on the ball more at Liverpool than you are at Bournemouth," he said.
"At that point he's got to be more of a footballing manager as well."