Jurgen Klopp is a Liverpool legend who arrived at Anfield in 2015 and, over the course of nine years, transformed the club into global giants once again.
He won everything there was to win with the Reds, most notably delivering their first Premier League title in 30 years, an achievement that alone cemented his legendary status.
But Klopp’s connection with Liverpool ran deeper than silverware; he earned cult status among fans for his charisma, passion, and commitment to the club’s values.
He stepped down in 2024, citing burnout and hinting he may never manage again. While he hasn’t returned to management, he did take up a new role as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull.
Despite that, speculation over his managerial return continues. Klopp was most recently linked with AS Roma, a rumour he later squashed.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
And now, just days after his former assistant Pep Lijnders agreed to join Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s number two, Martin Keown has urged a Premier League club to appoint the German.
Manchester United urged to go after former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
The Arsenal legend has expressed concern over Manchester United’s current managerial situation, claiming that the rebuild at United needs someone far more experienced than Ruben Amorim.
He questioned whether Amorim is the right fit for a club of United’s stature and suggested a more experienced manager is needed, urging the Red Devils to go after Klopp.
He mentioned Klopp’s impressive track record and ability to rebuild teams as he so successfully did with Liverpool. Speaking via talkSPORT, Keown said: “The number of games that they’ve lost, I’m still concerned that this isn’t the right manager for Manchester United.
“It’s going to be a very interesting start to the season, they could do a lot worse than go and get Jurgen Klopp to manage their football club.
“I’m not trying to sensationalise but I believe that he might do an incredible job there, they need someone there with more experience than the current manager.
“Why not? He’s done it once before, we’re comparing their journey now, he’s done it once before but with a better foundation.”
Jurgen Klopp famously rejected Manchester United before joining Liverpool
The German has previously revealed that he turned down the chance to join Man United after his time at Borussia Dortmund, staying true to his principles about football and club identity.
According to former Reds striker Robbie Fowler, Klopp rejected United along with another top club, because he felt they were driven too heavily by commercial interests over the football itself.
Writing in his column for The Mirror, Fowler wrote: “I did an interview with him a couple of years ago and he told me he turned down a couple of super-rich clubs after Dortmund – one of them was definitely Manchester United, the other probably Real Madrid – because he hated how they were focused solely on commercial influences.
“He said he liked Liverpool because they had a balance between the money needed to reach the top and the history and identity of the club and their fans.”
Klopp himself has admitted in a past interview that some of the clubs he spoke to after leaving Dortmund seemed more like business ventures than proper football institutions, which didn’t align with his values.
Speaking to Fowler, he said: “I had talks with other clubs and they didn’t sound like a football club. It sounded like marketing, image, you need to sign this, you need to sign that. And I thought ‘wow, that’s not the game I love’.