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Jurgen Klopp made feelings clear on Mason Greenwood as Liverpool faces ex-Man Utd player

Liverpool will come up against former Manchester United player Mason Greenwood when the Reds face Marseille in the Champions League tonight

09:55, 21 Jan 2026

Jurgen Klopp celebrates after a 5-0 win over Manchester United in 2021

Jurgen Klopp celebrates after a 5-0 win over Manchester United in 2021(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Liverpool faces a tricky Champions League assignment today as it travels to France to face Marseille.

The Reds are still battling to get their season back on track after a rough first half of the campaign, which saw the team lose its grip on the Premier League title.

Liverpool's results in Europe have been better than they have been in the Premier League, with Arne Slot's men collecting four wins from six games.

A win against Marseille will see the club move into the top eight of the Champions League table with just one game remaining.

That game is against Qarabag at home, so if Liverpool does win tonight, Slot will feel confident of finishing inside the top eight, and thus avoiding a potentially tricky play-off to make it into the last 16 of the competition.

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Recording a victory over Marseille won't be easy, though, given the quality that Roberto De Zerbi has at his disposal in southern France.

Among them is the Ligue 1 top scorer, Mason Greenwood, who has registered 20 goals and six assists in 26 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

Greenwood's quality on the pitch was recognized by former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp ahead of a Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2021 – when Greenwood was still in the picture at Old Trafford.

Klopp said: “Mason ­Greenwood? Wow. What a talent he is. I think that he has maybe pushed Jadon Sancho out of position. Mason can play in the centre, but there is no space any more, so maybe they will share. It’s a problem that you want to have as a manager, 100 percent."

Liverpool went on to win the game that Klopp was previewing 5-0.

Mason Greenwood is at Marseille now

Mason Greenwood is at Marseille now(Image: 2026 Franco Arland)

Meanwhile, Arne Slot praised Marseille manager De Zerbi ahead of tonight's game, describing him as "one of the best managers in the world".

"In my opinion, it (a manager's reputation) should not always be judged on the amount of trophies you win, it should also be judged on the fact of how you let your team play," De Zerbi said.

"I think he is already working at a very big club because Marseille is a very big club, [both] at the moment and history-wise as well.

"I'm not the one that is hiring coaches but if I was one, he would definitely be very high on a list if I worked at a big club. I always like to watch his teams.

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"He is working in France now, so I follow the English league a little bit more, of course, but when he was at Brighton I saw his teams playing more.

"He's a very good manager, it's not always fair to judge managers only on what they win, the style of play should also be very important as well, in my opinion, and the development of players.

"That's what you see with him, that players always develop very well and then sometimes when he leaves these players are not as good as they were with him and that usually tells me how good a manager you are."

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