ONCE the formalities and pleasantries are out of the way today, Roy Hodgson will embark on the biggest challenge of his 35-year managerial career.

From taking the reigns at Halmstads aged just 28, to guiding unfashionable Fulham to the Europa League final last year, Hodgson is not averse to overcoming the odds.

Other than his time at Inter Milan, though, there is nothing on his varied and globetrotting CV to compare to what he is now faced with at Anfield.

Referred to as the most significant summer in the club’s history, Hodgson has a huge job on his hands.

Significantly, that was also the case when he took over at the San Siro.

With Inter rooted to the bottom of Serie A a month into the 1995/96 season, new owner Massimo Moratti took drastic action and replaced Luis Suarez with Hodgson.

As now, Hodgson’s appointment was a gamble. As then, Liverpool will desire a similar effect.

After lifting Inter up the table to claim a place in Europe, the following season saw Hodgson guide the Nerazzurri to the UEFA Cup final and third in the league.

First and foremost his appointment as Rafael Benitez’s successor appears to be driven by the need for stability; something that has been in short supply at Anfield in recent years.

At 62, Hodgson is one of football’s elder statesmen who is steeped in age old traditions of discretion and diplomacy.

Rightly or wrongly, the firebrand that was Benitez at times became too hot to handle, prompting the club’s board to finally end a battle the Spaniard was never going to win last month.

Should Hodgson encounter the same frustrations as his predecessor, he is unlikely to go down the same route.

Rather than just a safe pair of hands, however, Hodgson is renowned for his man-management.

While he will now fulfil an ambition of one more big challenge in the twilight of his career, Hodgson has been wise enough to evolve throughout his three and a half decades in management.

From adopting zonal marking in the 1980s, to getting the best from the complicated specimen that is the modern day footballer, Hodgson has moved with the times.