Former Liverpool winger John Barnes says the club’s owners did not want to sack Arne Slot and criticised the fans for forcing their hand.

Slot was dismissed at the weekend, 12 months after guiding the Merseysiders to the Premier League title in his first season in charge. The Dutchman failed to build on that success and departed not long after Liverpool limped to a fifth-placed finish.

The final weeks of the season saw Reds fans express their frustration with the team’s cautious approach and, while it was never hostile, Barnes believes it was enough to make the board wield the axe.

He told Historic Newspapers: “I was a big fan of Arne Slot, because Liverpool chose him and I thought he did well. He should have been given more time to allow his big signings like Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz to gel, because that doesn’t always happen all at once.

“I support the hierarchy at the club and the decisions they make, but in my opinion, the owners didn’t sack Slot – the fans did. Hierarchies and owners don’t get rid of managers, fans do. No matter how much time owners want to give a manager, they know they need the fans onside and if that doesn’t happen, it’s not going to work.

“That’s the disappointing thing for me – I don’t think the Liverpool fans backed Slot enough. Once the fans lose faith in you, the players absolve themselves for bad performances and put the blame on the manager.”

Liverpool board had no choice after the fans turned – Barnes

Barnes claims it was a similar situation at Manchester United, although they can claim to have made the right decision in dismissing Ruben Amorim following their remarkable transformation under Michael Carrick.

The 62-year-old, who made over 300 appearances for Liverpool and helped them to two league titles and two FA Cups, added: “We saw it at Manchester United with Ruben Amorim last season when Micky van de Ven ran the length of the pitch unchallenged and assisted a goal for Tottenham, and the fans booed the manager. What’s the manager supposed to do about that?

“The point I’m making is that the fans are the ones who sack the manager, not the owners. I don’t think the owners wanted to make the decision they have with Slot, but they acknowledged it went too far from a fan perspective.”

Andoni Iraola is the overwhelming favourite to replace Slot after leaving Bournemouth at the end of his contract.