After five seasons at Anfield, is the manager of Liverpool about to walk out of the exit door? His future seems a little more than uncertain, with bookmakers suspending all betting on him leaving the club.

Bookmakers generally only do this when there has been a flurry of bets on a manager leaving, while the flurry of bets usually come about as a result of inside information. The Times reports that the Spaniard’s decision not to sign a fifth draft of a contract that’s been put on the table could signal the end of the Spaniard’s five-year reign.

Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill, said: “We are slightly jumpy after being turned over by the recent Weymouth coup but the level of interest on Rafa getting the sack is unprecedented with over 300 calls logged today alone.

“We would be very surprised if he is still the Liverpool boss by midnight on Sunday.”

Ahead of Wednesday night’s match at the Bernabeu, it seems slightly odd that this story about the Liverpool manager would break now. Perhaps Rafa has confided to others that he is ready to call it a day once the Reds’ participation in the Champions League is over, something which could be the case in a fortnight’s time. Do you expect Benitez to be Liverpool manager come the start of next season?

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