JURGEN KLOPP HAS revealed that he turned down a “historical English club” before joining Liverpool because the job “didn’t feel right”.
Having enhanced his reputation during a productive spell at Borussia Dortmund, the German coach was a man in demand back in 2015.
Around that time, Manchester United were stagnating under Louis van Gaal while Chelsea were preparing to part with Jose Mourinho.
Both clubs would have been expected to express an interest in Klopp, having seen him walk away from his role in Dortmund, but neither got a deal done as Liverpool swept in to make a high-profile appointment as successor to Brendan Rodgers.
“Why Liverpool? I had an offer of another historical English club two years ago, but I never felt comfortable with how they understood football,” Klopp told guests at a charity event in Cape Town, according to Soccer Laduma.
“It didn’t feel right. When Liverpool called, I can’t explain it. It was right.”
If he did turn down United, then that decision will have come as a surprise to many, with Klopp’s predecessor at Mainz, Eckhard Krautzun, having revealed that Old Trafford had always been his favoured destination in England.
He told The Set Pieces on Klopp: “When it comes to his favourite club, however, Liverpool weren’t always number one.
It would be his dream to go to England one day and his favourite club would be [Manchester] United. That’s what he said.”
Having opted to head for Merseyside over Manchester or London, Klopp is now charged with the task of returning former glories to Liverpool.
He has experienced mixed fortunes after taking on that challenge, with the Reds still waiting on a first piece of silverware since 2012.
Klopp is, however, convinced that he will deliver success, with his sights still set on the Premier League title.
He added while in South Africa: “We have to improve, 100%. But we will.
We are fine and the owners are happy. Liverpool is a fantastic club, and my aim is to win the Premier League with it.”
Liverpool sit fifth in the English top-flight at present, 12 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
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