Dubbed the ‘next Zinedine Zidane’, the forgotten Liverpool signing is looking to take a top managerial job after retiring from the game

Former Liverpool star Bruno Cheyrou is reportedly set to become Lyon’s new sporting director.

The former France midfielder spent four years at Merseyside between 2002 and 2006 after joining from Lille for £4.5million.

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In his first two seasons under manager Gerard Houllier, he made 48 appearances for the Reds before being loaned out to Marseille and Bordeaux.

He eventually went to Rennes for good and hung up his boots in 2012 after a stint with Nantes.

Since 2020, Cheyrou, 44, has worked his way up the ranks as a backroom worker at Lyon.

Before his death, he even worked under Lyon football adviser and former Liverpool manager Houllier.

He is currently Ligue 1’s head of recruitment but RMC Sport report he will fill the vacant sporting director position.

Lyon have not appointed anyone since Juninho Pernambucano retired in 2021.

And the club need a boost after a disastrous start to the 2022/23 season.

After a dismal eighth-place finish in Ligue 1 last season, Laurent Blanc’s appointment as manager hasn’t improved things.

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They are ninth in the table, well behind the European places.

Their supporters hope Cheyrou’s rise can inspire them to improve on the pitch.

During his playing days, the former midfielder, who earned three caps for France, was once compared to the legendary Zinedine Zidane by Houllier.

After signing him in 2002, the then Liverpool manager said: “To me, Bruno has some of the qualities of Zinedine Zidane, he has the ability to choose a pass and moves a bit like him.

“Zidane is 29 and at the peak of his game, while Bruno is still a youngster and still learning a lot, especially about English football.

“View [Robert] Pires and [Sylvain] Wiltord at Arsenal. They needed time because the Premiership [Premier League] is so different from France.

“It’s so much faster and more physical. But look at her now.”