Kenny Dalglish will only take the Liverpool if a viable alternative cannot be found, says son Paul.

Dalglish's son has claimed his father only wants to succeed Benítez at Anfield owing to an absence of credible alternatives.

Paul Dalglish, now head coach of Tampa Bay Rowdies, revealed: "It's not as though José Mourinho is going to come and do the job. It's not as though Fabio Capello's going to leave England to become the next manager of Liverpool.

"My dad wants to do the job and he feels he is the best person available to do the job. If José Mourinho was available and he wanted to do the job, my dad wouldn't have any interest in it because all my dad ever does is act in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club."