Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has decided on his backup plan for his choice of a new managerial job and is on his way back to England to ink a deal to take over the Liverpool hot seat after seeing his England managerial dream disappear after the Three Lions beat Slovenia 1-0 on Wednesday to qualify for the last 16.

The former Inter Milan coach had been waiting for the possibility of England failing to reach the knockout stage as current boss Fabio Capello would have stepped down from the post if that was the case. The Football Association were understood to be keen on handing the job to Hodgson should that scenario occur, but that has now been eliminated as England players rediscovered their desire to play in time to avoid the humiliation of an early knockout.

Liverpool will now await Hodgson’s return from South Africa where he was acting in the capacity of a BBC pundit and hope to complete negotiations with their number one candidate and complete a deal for him to start work immediately on rebuilding the Anfield club which has been torn apart this summer after a poor season, culminating in the sacking of Rafael Benitez as manager.

Hodgson was already approached by Liverpool last week but had asked to be given time to consider the offer, when in fact the Craven Cottage coach was biding his time for his dream job while having a ready replacement waiting in the wings.

Liverpool have decided to be patient to get the man they deem most suitable for the job despite having interviewed other candidates including former Real Madrid boss Manuel Pellegrini while Kop legend Kenny Dalglish had offered his services to steer the Anfield ship back on its proper course.

Tags: English Premier League, football managers, Fulham, Liverpool, Roy Hodgson