Jurgen Klopp’s announcement on Friday has hit everybody hard. The news came completely out of the blue. No one had seen it coming. Not even his own players.
As revealed yesterday by Andy Robertson, even he and his teammates were surprised. Which just goes to show just how much of a professional Klopp is. Even though he made up his mind in November, he never gave anything away.
But it’s not just Klopp’s current players who have been surprised by the Liverpool boss’ decision to leave the club. There was a former Liverpool star who left the club in the summer, who revealed he was quite emotional after hearing the news.
Naby Keita on his reaction to Jurgen Klopp’s departure
That player was of course, Naby Keita. The Guinean international may not have always had a great time at Anfield. But it feels like he did build a special connection with Klopp based on his comments. Speaking to RMC Sport, he revealed he actually got quite emotional when he learned Klopp would leave the club.
“When I heard the news, I had tears in my eyes. I was like his son in Liverpool and I consider him my dad,” Keita said.
It’s a little bit surprising to hear Keita speaking so affectionately about Klopp. During his last few seasons we got the impression that relations may have deteriorated between the two. But it’s obvious that was never the case.
Despite all the struggles Keita had to endure, it seems he always remained on great terms with Klopp. Yet another demonstration of the Liverpool boss’ exceptional man management skills.
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