John Henry admits he was won round by Kenny Dalglish after initially wanting to appoint a younger manager in the Liverpool FC hotseat.
Saturday marked the anniversary of Fenway Sports Group’s protracted £300million LFC takeover that banished Tom Hicks and George Gillett from the club.
One of Henry’s first decisions as principal owner was to install Dalglish in place of deposed manager Roy Hodgson on a temporary basis in January until the end of last season.
Liverpool subsequently tracked a clutch of up-and-coming names in their search for a permanent successor, a shortlist which included current Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.
But while having harboured reservations employing someone who hadn’t been in the hotseat for more than a decade, Henry admits Dalglish soon provided a compelling case for his appointment.
Asked if the blueprint was to install a younger manager, Henry said: “Initially it was. You want to have long-term stability in as much as the staff as possible.
“I had been talking with Kenny about philosophy and initially he was brought aboard just for the remainder of last season. But it became obvious that he was the right man to lead the club.
“Kenny is certainly charismatic and beloved by the fans. I wasn’t convinced when we arrived that Kenny should be back managing and I wanted things to work with the manager we inherited.
“But the fans knew much more than I did. It took me a while to get up to speed.”
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