Sacked NEC Nijmegen coach Pep Lijnders is being linked with a return to Liverpool.

The Daily Mail says Lijnders could be set for a surprise return to Anfield as Jurgen Klopp considers his options following the shock departure of Zeljko Buvac.

Klopp has been without an assistant since Buvac, his trusted assistant of 17 years, abruptly left on the eve of the Champions League semi-final second leg against Roma.

Buvac remains employed by Liverpool and the club insist there is a possibility the Bosnian, who was linked with the Arsenal manager's job, could return to work alongside Klopp but the reality is much different.

Klopp will not make any decisions on what happens next until after the Champions League final on May 26 but Lijnders, who left Liverpool in January to become manager of NEC Nijmegen, will come into his considerations.