Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has emerged as Liverpool’s preferred choice to become new manager.

Liverpool are searching for a new boss following the departure of Rafa Benitez, now set to take over at Inter Milan, last week.

Fulham chief Hodgson, along with former manager Kenny Dalglish, Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill and even Everton manager David Moyes, are believed to be among the Reds’ top choices for the job, while Guus Hiddink appears to have ruled himself out of the running.

It is Hodgson who is being tipped to eventually take the Anfield reins though, and Liverpool are expected to make a formal move for the former Switzerland manager, who is only on a rolling yearly deal at Craven Cottage, if they get the green light from Fulham to do so.

Zoltan Gera insists he is happy at Fulham and has played down speculation linking him with a move to Serie A side Roma.

The 31-year-old was an influential figure with six goals as the west Londoners reached the final of the Europa League this season, only to be beaten by Atletico Madrid 2-1 in Hamburg.

The Craven Cottage outfit also enjoyed success in the Premier League, securing their place in the top flight weeks before the end of the season and, in Roy Hodgson, have one of the best managers in the country.

Gera only scored two goals in the Premier League last season but has attracted the attention of the Romans, who may make a bid during the summer transfer window.

However, Gera clearly feels at home playing for the Cottagers and hinted that he will reject any attempts to lure him elsewhere over the coming months.

“I’m contracted to the club and I feel good here, the season was like I planned,” he told Sky Sports.

“My aim is to play like I did or even better. If the atmosphere is good and the team-mates are good it’s only a part of how I feel.

“What really matters is how I play football. If a player doesn’t do his job well then usually he wants to leave, if he performs well then he usually wants to stay and continue everything.”

The Hungary international also feels his best years may still lie ahead and he appears content to a least see out the rest of his current contract, which ends in 2011, with the capital club.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has said he is committed to the club, having witnessed them taste bitter defeat in the Europa League final on Wednesday.

The west Londoners went down 2-1 to a strong Athletico Madrid side thanks to a late Diego Forlan goal in extra time.

Hodgson, who has won the LMA manager of the year award this season, has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage.

Clubs across Europe are said to be showing in interest in the former Inter Milan boss, with Liverpool suggested as a potential move.

But the 62-year-old said “As far as my future is concerned I have never given it much thought. I’ve been committed fully to Fulham all the time I’ve been at the club.

“I still have a contract at the club and as far as I know that’s where I shall be,” he added.

Fulham have had an extraordinary season after reaching the final of their first European cup run, beating the likes of Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg along the way.

Hodgson’s players have called for the manager to stay at the club, with Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland stating the tactician was the main cause for Fulham’s success this season.

He said: “I don’t know what’s going to happen but I obviously hope he’ll stay.

“He’s really important to the success we’ve had over the last two years so it’s probably the most important thing for us over the summer to make sure he stays.”

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has stated that he would be foolish to turn down the chance to work with a ‘big club’ in the future.

The 62-year-old, who has lead his Fulham side to the final of the Europa League in Hamburg, has been linked to the likes of
Liverpool after his sides heroics to reach their first European final.

Currently the Fulham boss is on a one year rolling contract and could be persuaded away from Craven Cottage if the right offer came along.

He said: “If the day comes when a so-called big club wants me and I’m available then I would be happy to do it.”

However the former Inter Milan boss is not outwardly looking for new employers after his side made the final against Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Hodgson said: “If the question is ‘now you’ve reached this final are you putting yourself on the market to try to get the biggest club you can get?’ then the answer is no, I’m not.

“I’ve signed a contract here. I’m happy at Fulham. Until I hear otherwise that’s where I intend to be working,” he added.

Roy Hodgson has described Fulham’s progress to the Europa League final as an ‘outstanding achievement’ following their 2-1 semi-final second leg win against Hamburg on Thursday.

Following a goalless first leg draw Mladen Petric’s 22nd-minute free-kick had given the German club the lead at Craven Cottage and a crucial away goal.

However second half strikes from Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera meant the Londoners went through 2-1 on aggregate and they will face Atletico Madrid in their first-ever European final in Hamburg on May 12.

“This club has had some bad times and we’ve looked into the abyss once or twice,” Hodgson said.

“Everyone is proud that we’re about to start our 10th Premier League season.

“And to have reached a Europa League final – and I don’t care if you’re Fulham or one of the top four – is an outstanding achievement. That will be recognised by everyone.

“I can only enjoy the moment and make sure that the glory on the players is not deflected elsewhere.

“We’re in the final because we’ve played very, very well throughout and knocked out some very difficult teams, not least Hamburg.

“It’s been a wonderful journey that I’m really proud of. The team have produced better football than we’re entitled to ask of them.”

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is optimistic star striker Bobby Zamora will shake off an Achilles tendon injury for the Europa League quarter-final second leg against Wolfsburg on Thursday.

World Cup hopeful Zamora missed the 2-1 win over relegation-threatened Wigan on Sunday but Hodgson is confident he will be ready for the trip to Germany.

The former Tottenham targetman scored in the 2-1 first leg victory over the Bundesliga side and Hodgson is keeping his fingers crossed his principal goal threat will have recovered.

“Bobby suffers with his Achilles tendon, as do many players,” said Hodgson. “The problem with those injuries is that if you get a kick on it, like he did the other day, it makes it worse.”

He added: “We were hoping he would recover in time to play against Wigan but didn’t. The medical staff are optimistic he will recover in time for Thursday.”

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has dismissed Manchester United-bound defender Chris Smalling’s poor form since sealing his £10m transfer to Old Trafford.

The 20-year-old gave away a penalty during the 2-0 defeat at Hull at the weekend, while he has also failed to deal effectively with both Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Agbonlahor over recent weeks in the games against Manchester City and Aston Villa.

But Hodgson reckons the 20-year-old England Under-21 international will not let the pressure of his big-money move prey on his mind.

“Had he not been signed by United then the criticism would be quite different,” said Hodgson

“But now all eyes are on him.

“He’ll cope with the pressure of playing at Old Trafford. I’m doing Alex Ferguson a favour, letting him get his mistakes out of the way at Fulham.”

Damien Duff has hailed the job Roy Hodgson has done at Fulham as he prepares to return to the north-east for the first time since he left Newcastle.

The Irish winger was a Toon player for three years before enduring relegation heartache, but Hodgson took a gamble on the man who Chelsea once paid £17 million for before the start of this season.

Now Duff has been revitalised at Craven Cottage and is preparing to help his side against Sunderland on Sunday, just days after his goal secured them a last-16 Europa League tie against Juventus.

Fulham have come a long way since Hodgson took over two years ago, when he helped them escape relegation on the final day of the season.

Duff has admitted he had a “difficult few years” in the north-east but is now loving playing under a great manager like Hodgson and help bring “exciting times” to the Fulham fans.

“It’s almost unbelievable to see what has happened here in the last two years and he has to take the credit for that. I stand in line and applaud him with the rest,” he said.

“It’s hard to say how far we can go. Our mentality is to keep going, do the best we can in each game, try to be modest and stick to our game plan. That’s brought us some success and long may it continue.”

Fulham may have to face Sunderland without top scorer Bobby Zamora, who suffered an Achilles injury during the Europa League victory and is a doubt for the game.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson says he is worried Andy Johnson could be ruled out for the rest of the season if an exploratory operation reveals he needs knee surgery.

The former Everton striker had just been getting back to full fitness following a previous injury but will now undergo a procedure to discover the full extent of his current problem.

Hodgson is hopeful that it will just be a cartilage problem which could see Johnson back by the end of February.

However, if it is bad news, as Hodgson fears, the 28-year-old will require knee surgery and will be out for the rest of the season.

“AJ’s going to have an exploratory operation on his knee,” said Hodgson.

“If they find that the problem is as major as it could possibly be, then he would need an operation that would keep him out for the rest of the season.

“If we’re lucky and the major operation is not needed, and it’s something wrong with the cartilage, then he might be back earlier.

“At the moment we’re talking three to four weeks, and the worst-case scenario is the rest of the season and him being fit to join us in pre-season.”

Hodgson already has six first team players sidelined through injury and is cursing his luck after allowing Diomansay Kamara to join Celtic on loan.

“One of the reasons why we let Diomansy go was because we didn’t think the problem with Andy was anywhere near as grave,” he added.

“I was concerned that I would not be able to give Diomansy regular games, so when a club of Celtic’s stature comes in for him, it is very difficult for me to say ‘you have to stay’.

“Of course now I have let him go and have further news about Andy, I might be beginning to regret it, but you can only make decisions at the time.”

Roy Hodgson has said he will not be making any moves in the January transfer market to compensate for loss of Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and Clint Dempsey.

USA forward Dempsey will have a scan on Monday to determine the full extent of a potential posterior cruciate knee ligament injury and Craven Cottage boss Hodgson fears he could be out of action for a considerable time.

Left-back Konchesky also picked up an ankle injury in the 2-0 defeat by Blackburn on Sunday and joins a growing injury list.

Hodgson said: “Clint will be scanned on Monday but we feel it might be a posterior cruciate knee ligament which would be very bad for us and he would be out for a while.

“It’s a concern up front because Clint Dempsey is very useful for us but now with both he and Bobby out it makes us a bit weaker in that area than we’d like to be.”

Hodgson reiterated he would not be making panic buys for cover and revealed the amount of money he had available was limited.

He added: “It’s a very difficult market at the moment. There’s not many players who are moving about and we will be very limited in what we can spend.

“I’m a little bit reluctant to go and spend money on a player who maybe in the long term might not make us better. We will get players back and maybe we just have to accept that.”