LIVERPOOL MANAGER JURGEN Klopp is hoping to meet Sean Cox before Sunday’s massive Premier League clash with Manchester City, and has described the attack which left the Meath man with brain injuries as “the lowest point” in his time with the club.
Cox, 54, was left with serious brain injuries following an unprovoked attack by Roma fans outside Anfield before a Champions League semi-final against the Italian club in April 2018.
The lifelong Liverpool supporter spent 18 months receiving treatment in Ireland before recently moving to a specialist neurological facility in the north of England.
Earlier this week, Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore confirmed that Cox will attend Sunday’s game at Anfield, his first return to the stadium since the attack.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Klopp admitted the incident was a difficult time for the club.
“When it happened to Sean, it was really the lowest point for me in my whole time at Liverpool,” Klopp said.
“Because something like this should not happen in general in life, but it should not happen around a football game as well.
“The love obviously that Sean and his family has for this club and for football, I hope that it gave him and them all strength and power in the recovery time. We all know it’s not finished yet. We know it’s still a long way to go.
“But having this, that we can give him the opportunity to come back to watch a really big game, that he wants to that, that’s for me, coming from a real low point, it’s one of my highlights since I’m here because it’s so nice.
“I’m really looking forward to it and I hope we can organise it that I can see him for a couple of minutes before the game. I really want to.
“How the Liverpool community dealt with it, I hope that he feels that. We don’t only sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ – we really live that.
“In this specific situation, it was very important to show that and I really hope they felt that the whole time and will feel that in the future when we can help him with his recovery as well.”
Earlier this year a Liverpool legends charity match at the Aviva Stadium raised €748,000 for the Sean Cox Rehabilitation Trust.
Simone Mastrelli, 30, was jailed for three and a half years for the assault. Filippo Lombardi, 21, was jailed for three years for violent disorder, but cleared of inflicting grievous bodily harm.
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