Liverpool legend John Barnes believes that Jurgen Klopp would have been sacked by the Reds a couple of years into the job if he was black.
The former England star feels that black managers continue to be discriminated at the top level, and has stated his belief that nothing will happen until perceptions are changed.
The German tactician saw his Liverpool side finish eighth and then fourth in his first two seasons in the Premier League, and Barnes is of the opinion that "if he was black, he would have lost his job in those first two years".
"You can put structures in place, but until you change your perception, nothing will change," Barnes told PlayOJO.
"I use Klopp as an example. How successful was he, really, in the first two years in terms of being 25 points off the top? But we believed that he was the right man.
"Under different circumstances, he would have lost his job. If he was black, he would have lost his job in those first two years. If he was English, he would have lost his job.
"This is where the idea of discrimination is a little bit strange because there's a group of people who are discriminated against in English football and the very highest level in the Premier League.
"Now, the top six teams will not have a white English manager. Yes, you can say Frank Lampard, as people have pointed out, but that's because he has a special bond with Chelsea and that's the only reason he managed Chelsea. But under different circumstances he wouldn't have got that job."
