Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, Jamie Carragher has shared details of a conversation he had with former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson about Jurgen Klopp when he first joined Liverpool.
Ferguson had retired by the time Klopp arrived at Liverpool, but with Fergie maintaining strong ties to Manchester United, he still had an eye on what was going on around the Premier League.
According to Carragher, Ferguson was very concerned about Klopp joining Liverpool, stating that he was worried about the direction the German would take the Reds in.
What’s been said?
Carragher shared what Fergsuon told him about Klopp.
“When Jurgen Klopp first came to Liverpool, we knew he was a character and a personality. I said it at the time, it wasn’t just a signing for Liverpool, it was one for the Premier League he was something special,” Carragher said.
“I remember playing a game at Old Trafford, I think it was Michael Carrick’s testimonial. Alex Ferguson came around the dressing room, Jurgen Klopp had been at Liverpool for about a month, and he came to me and said ‘you have a manager’, I said ‘yeah we’ve had a decent start,’ and he said ‘No, I am worried’. He knew from meeting him, whether it was at the UEFA meetings, or the Champions League, he could feel that personality.”
Proven right
Ferguson was concerned about where Klopp would take Liverpool, and unfortunately for Manchester United and the rest of the Premier League, the legendary manager was right to be worried.
Klopp has taken Liverpool back to the very top of European football. They’re on track for a historic quadruple, they’ve won their first Premier League title under his management, and they added a sixth European triumph in 2019.
Klopp will go down as one of the greatest managers in English football history, and Ferguson saw this coming a mile off.
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