Image Credits: Imago Images
Pep Ljinders made the controversial decision to join Manchester City in the summer.
The former assistant to Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool made the switch to the Cityzens in a move that upset a lot of Liverpool fans, especially as he had then broken the promise he once made.
In February of last year, he told the club’s official website: “I will not assist anyoe else, that’s the moment I will go and I will manage. That was always the case.”
On top of that, speaking to FourFourTwo, he said: “I will assist Jurgen and Jurgen only. After this project I will be my own manager.”
Ljinders departed Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp did, and he attempted to kickstart his managerial career by taking over RB Salzburg.
However, that went horribly wrong, and he was sacked after just six months in charge, leaving him considering what to do next.
His next decision was to join Pep Guardiola at Manchester City as his assistant, and along with former Liverpool defender Kolo Toure, the pair joined City this summer.
Liverpool are set to face Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday, and it will be the first time Ljinders will face off against his old club since his departure.
It is thought that Ljinders could face a fiery reception from the travelling fans this weekend.
However, whilst Ljinders may no longer be viewed too fondly by the Reds faithful, Jurgen Klopp gave his blessing to his former assistant on a recent podcast.
Speaking on a Diary of a CEO by Steven Bartlett, Klopp said: “Absolutely no problem. I like both Peps, that’s how it is, no problem with that.”
“I worked together with Pep Ljinders, he was an inspiration for me every day. Absolutely every day, I learned a lot from him.”
“Pep Guardiola, I couldn’t respect a manager more.”
“When they asked me, ‘what do you think, can we?’, ‘of course you can!’
“Come on, find a guy who worked together with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp – I would read the book!”
“Pep Guardiola knew exactly what he was looking for, he wanted exactly this kind of spark, fire, and Pep has that, he’s an extreme well of energy. So, I’m happy for them both.”
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