Jurgen Klopp didn’t want to sign Manchester United’s new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan in action
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told the Liverpool Echo that he didn’t want to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan because he’s already worked with him before.
Mkhitaryan, 27, hit 11 goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund last season, and earned a huge move to Manchester United off the back of those stats.
Jurgen Klopp with Henrikh Mkhitaryan
The Armenian is expected to be a key player for Jose Mourinho this coming season, and many have wondered why Liverpool didn’t make a move to sign the former Shakhtar Donetsk star this summer.
Mkhitaryan signed for Dortmund under current Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp back in 2013, and hit 18 goals in two seasons under the German’s management.
This summer, Klopp did strengthen his attacking options by signing Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum, but totally avoided the race to sign Mkhitaryan – and now, he’s explained why.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Klopp suggested that he didn’t pursue Mkhitaryan because he’s already worked with him, and wanted to learn about other players instead.
Klopp suggested there is little room for development with a player he has worked with previously as he knows everything there is to know – and would instead prefer to bring in new players, like Mane or Wijnaldum.
“I had that player,” Klopp said. “If you have had players, you know more about them. You want to learn about other players. That’s how it is. I knew quite early that he was going this way (to Old Trafford). There was absolutely no reason for me to jump in there. That isn’t how we work.”
“We didn’t look for players we had already worked with. If you do that, you know their good, their bad and you wonder whether you will do it again. It’s not boring but you know everything about each other so how can you develop? Where is the next step? Where is the next push for development?” he added.
The comments give a little insight into Klopp’s philosophy and way of thinking at Anfield, and would explain why he didn’t make a concrete move to sign Mario Gotze, despite strong speculation suggesting he would target the playmaker.
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