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He's the man who has Brendan Rodgers’ future in his hands.

Mike Gordon is tasked with leading the end of season review which will determine whether Rodgers continues as manager following a disastrous campaign for Liverpool.

The 50-year-old American has become an increasingly important figure at Anfield over the past three years but most Kopites wouldn’t know him if they bumped into him.

He doesn’t give interviews. He doesn’t have a public profile and that’s how he likes it - out of the limelight.

Gordon is essentially responsible, alongside chief executive Ian Ayre, for the day to day running of Liverpool. However, his role extends way beyond simply reporting back to Boston-based principal owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner.

He is Fenway Sports Group’s second largest shareholder with around 12%. Only Henry (around 40%) holds a bigger stake in an organisation which has the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool among its lucrative business interests.

Gordon, who grew up in Milwaukee but moved to Boston as a student, is married with four children. He enjoyed a hugely successful career in finance prior to getting involved with FSG.

He worked for American multinational financial services corporation Fidelity in the 90s before founding the hedge fund Vinik Asset Management with Jeffrey Vinik in 1996. When they shut it down in 2013 it had assets in excess of $6billion.

Gordon, who had started out selling popcorn at Milwaukee Brewers matches, always had a passion for baseball and in 2002 he joined up with FSG when they purchased the Red Sox.

For years he was a limited partner but that changed following FSG’s takeover of Liverpool in October 2010.

Gordon was installed on the club’s board of directors and since 2012, when he increased his stake in FSG, he has spent more and more of his time on this side of the Atlantic.

A year ago Henry and Werner recognised that increased influence by giving him the title of FSG president.

Gordon is the most senior member of the club’s much maligned transfer committee and has been heavily involved in the Main Stand redevelopment. He is also a trustee of the Liverpool FC Foundation.

“Mike is well known among professional investors as being one of the brightest financial minds in the country,” Henry told the Boston Globe back in March.

“So he is involved in virtually all of our important financial discussions and decisions.

“He spent his career essentially buying businesses through choosing stocks. He understands present value, all of the financial issues that exist in an organization as wide and diverse as this is.

“He is by far FSG America’s most knowledgeable person with regard to soccer and is involved on the football side daily in constant communication with the members of our football committee and our manager. He took a lead role just about the same time as we brought in Brendan Rodgers.”

Former business partner Vinik, who now owns Tampa Bay Lightning ice hockey team, added: “Mike Gordon is one of the best human beings you could possibly meet.

“He’s very smart, very thoughtful and really outstanding at solving problems and finding solutions to difficult issues.”

What happens over the coming weeks and months will put that glowing tribute to the test.

At the end of a torrid season, Liverpool are in a mess and Gordon is tasked with putting plans in place to sort it out.

He’s the man Rodgers must convince that he deserves the opportunity to put right what’s gone horribly wrong.