Alex Manninger had a short spell at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp.
The Austrian has now opened up about his time on Merseyside.
The goalkeeper arrived at Anfield on a free transfer in 2016. This came right after he had a goodspell at Augsburg, where he played 38 times in all competitions.
The move to Liverpool was quite the opposite, as he was third-choice and never played for the first-team.
Despite that, Manninger sees the spell as something that was an emotional ending to his lengthy career.
Klopp wanted Manninger at Liverpool
The Austrian has spoken toGazzetta dello Sport in a detailed interview, addressing various topics around his career.
He was asked about his time at Liverpool and revealed Jurgen Klopp’s role in the transfer. Manninger also looked back on how a great performance against the German’s Borussia Dortmund side helped him.
“It all started with a phone call. Jurgen knew everything about me. Two years earlier I had beaten his Dortmund side with Augsburg. Klopp decided ‘I want that goalkeeper. You saved everything from us that day, you have to do the same to me.’ ”
Further, Manninger expressed gratitude for how everything turned out at Anfield.
“In reality, I never played, but I was forty. Leaving football and saying goodbye to the Kop fans was a thrill.”
Words show affection to Reds
Alex Manninger’s words show that despite not even playing, he does have an affection for Liverpool. He was never even on the bench but probably had a role to play in the dressing room. That is perhaps why Klopp initially wanted him.
At that point, Liverpool didn’t have Alisson in their ranks and were going through constant goalkeeping worries. The presence of someone like Manninger is often key, as his experience rubs off to younger players.