Liverpool MD Ian Ayre admits club faced extinction just four years ago

Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre has admitted that the club, which is currently closing in on its first Premier League title after 24 years, had been on the verge of extinction just four years ago.

Ayre reportedly admitted that if current Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group had not come to their rescue, the banks would have pulled the plug on the club's massive debts in 2010.

According to the Mirror, Ayre said that it is no secret, adding that Liverpool were sort of in that vein like in the TV programme, Seconds From Disaster, and it had been horrific to see the club in that state.

Ayre said that he does not feel that there had been a Liverpool fan in the city or anywhere at the time who was not worried that the club would not get into the current position for many reasons.

The managing director said that when one thinks about the day Liverpool tipped it over the edge and finally pulled it back, they have come such a long way.

Liverpool reportedly been saved only by a coup from board members Ayre, Martin Broughton and Christian Purslow just three and a half years ago, as the club was facing going into administration, but the trio had been able to outmaneuver then owners Tom Hicks and George Gillet, and sell the club from under their noses to another US duo, John Henry and Tom Werner to save the club from disaster.

Ayre is envisaging a healthy rate of growth for the club now that will put Liverpool back into the ring with biggest financial hitters, with the club is now set to bag a good amount of Champions League money and are also hoping to increase Anfield's capacity to accommodate 60,000 fans

Ayre said that there are plenty of teams who have slipped and slipped, despite new owners, so it is an unbelievable achievement to get back to where they are today and added that it is testament to the people who invested in the club and worked on getting them back there, the report added.