LIVERPOOL MANAGER JURGEN Klopp is confident there will be a smooth transition when Michael Edwards hands over sporting director duties to Julian Ward in the summer.

Klopp believes the role is invaluable in allowing him to focus on team issues and welcomes the continuity which will see the club promote from within.

“He’s worked very closely with Michael Edwards in the past so I don’t think there will be any kind of ‘rough sea’ things to overcome. I think it will be a very smooth takeover,” said the Reds boss.

“If I would have come here 10 years ago and told you a sporting director is really important you would have told me, ‘go back to Germany and deal with that there’.

“I wanted a sporting director when I came here because I don’t want to deal every day with players’ agents and anything that takes away from the really important stuff you have to do.

“I speak to players constantly but it is not the right thing for a manager to speak to players about contracts. You need someone in between.

“For the player that is the agent, for the club it is the sporting director – it is an important job.”