Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has ruled out managing Manchester United, despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe's praise, with the German remaining committed to never managing another English club
Tom Victor
19:17, 06 Jan 2026
Jim Ratcliffe is on the hunt for a new manager
Jim Ratcliffe is on the hunt for a new manager(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe admires Jurgen Klopp, but that's hardly sufficient to persuade the German to make a surprising switch to Old Trafford.
United's dismissal of Ruben Amorim has shifted focus toward available managers, with former Chelsea chief Enzo Maresca's name being mentioned, but appointing former Liverpool boss Klopp would seem to be a complete non-starter for several reasons.
"Klopp has this ability to drive his players to a frenzy," Ratcliffe said back in March 2024, after his arrival at Manchester United had been confirmed. "Total commitment on the pitch. And, you know, that's one of the things a good coach can do."
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At that time, Ratcliffe was questioned about whether he might consider approaching Klopp, given the German's decision to depart Anfield at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. Nevertheless, he swiftly rebuffed the journalist who posed the question, declaring: "You can't ask questions like that."
Ratcliffe hasn't shied away from recruiting personnel with ties to competing clubs, notably appointing former City Football Group executive Omar Berrada as CEO. But pursuing Klopp would be an entirely different proposition, and the former Borussia Dortmund manager has already suggested he wouldn't consider such a transfer.
"If you ask me, 'Will you ever work as a manager again?' I would say, now, no. But I don't know obviously how that will feel because I never had the situation," Klopp declared when confirming his departure from Liverpool. What I know definitely – I will never, ever manage a different club in England than Liverpool, 100 percent.
Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp will never manage Manchester United
Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp will never manage Manchester United(Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
"That's not possible. My love for this club, my respect for the people, is too big. I couldn't. I couldn't for a second think about it. There's no chance. This is part of my life, we are part of the family, we feel home here. There's no chance to do that.
"But all the rest, will I ever work again? Of course, I know, myself, I cannot just sit around. I will find something else, maybe, to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that's not possible, I cannot do that, and I don't want to. That's all."
True to his word, Klopp has taken up the position of Red Bull's global head of soccer, with no signs of a return to the touchline. Even if he were to make a comeback, a move to United seems out of the question.
While Klopp switching to United now appears utterly impossible due to his Liverpool ties, he was actually contacted by the Red Devils back in 2013.
During that period, the club was seeking a replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson, while Klopp was leading Dortmund on their journey to the Champions League final. "In the year when Sir Alex retired, they spoke to me," Klopp told the Diary of a CEO podcast last year.
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"Of course, they were interested. At that time, I would’ve been interested. I was young; I had a sensational team at Dortmund. They probably thought, 'What is he doing there?'"
He added: "United tried. It was the wrong time, wrong moment. I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn’t have left for anybody.
"There were some things in the conversations that I didn’t like. The idea was that big - 'We get all the players we want' - and I was sitting there thinking, this is not my project."