Jurgen Klopp has spoken publicly about his decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of this season.
The 56-year-old stunned the world of football with that announcement last Friday, and speaking to Rio Ferdinand in a feature for TNT Sports, the Reds boss admitted it was a call that he made with a heavy heart.
The German said: “It’s not that I want to leave; it’s more that I have to. If I cannot do it like that, if I cannot be the guy to push the team to the Champions League and stuff like that, then why should I do the job? I cannot do that.
“I don’t want to be a passenger. The job is too important, the club is too important, so that’s why I decided [to leave].”
As heartbreaking as it is to have only four more months left in Klopp’s glorious era at Liverpool, it’s understandable that he’d rather bow out gracefully rather than outstaying his welcome and potentially tarnishing the legacy he’s created.
He’s spoken about how he’s ‘running out of energy’ after being in the job for the best part of a decade, and a man of his integrity simply couldn’t continue in such a role unless he felt able to give 100% to it every single day.
At least there’s still a strong chance of him going out on a high if the Reds can win a trophy in his final game in charge in May.
You can view Klopp’s comments below, via @footballontnt on X (formerly Twitter):