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Brendan Rodgers retains the backing of Liverpool’s owners, despite the club’s disappointing FA Cup semi-final defeat to Aston Villa.

As things stand, Fenway Sports Group have no plans to change manager, considering the 42-year-old to be central to their long-term strategy at Anfield.

The Americans plan to conduct a thorough review into this season, once the campaign has finished, but unless there is a significant change of heart in Boston during the next month, Rodgers will be given the chance to continue as Reds boss.

Sunday’s Wembley loss to Villa has re-opened the debate surrounding Rodgers’ future, with the Ulsterman preparing to complete his third season on Merseyside without silverware. Not since Phil Taylor, back in the 1950s, has a Liverpool manager begun his reign with three trophyless campaigns.

Qualification for the Champions League, the club’s main target at the start of the season, looks unlikely at present, and would represent a significant failure if it was not achieved, though Liverpool still have an outside chance of overhauling fourth-placed Manchester City, with six league games remaining.

FSG parted company with Rodgers’ predecessor Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2012, following a disappointing league campaign in which the Reds finished eighth, 17 points adrift of the top four despite a League Cup success.

There is an appreciation, however, that the circumstances surrounding this season are somewhat different, and that Rodgers has been working within the framework provided by the club, in terms of finances, wage structure and a commitment to both buying and using younger players.

Still, missing out on next season’s Champions League would be viewed as a major blow by FSG, who believed the £116m spending spree sanctioned last summer would deliver qualification, despite the sale of Luis Suarez.

Financially, Liverpool would also miss out on a significant windfall of around £40m, with the new TV rights deal to come into operation as of next season. That would have repercussions in terms of the money the club will spend on transfers this summer.

Rodgers himself admitted earlier this season that his job would be on the line unless results, and just as importantly performances, improved quickly.

Liverpool sank as low as 12th in the Premier League after a defeat at Crystal Palace in November, but have lost just six of their 33 games in all competitions since, and can move to within four points of the top four if they win their game in hand at Hull next week.

Before that, they travel to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, with Rodgers insisting his side have “an obligation” to keep fighting, despite the disappointment of Wembley.