The new Anfield man has Sir Alex Ferguson’s seal of approval.
Jurgen Klopp is the first Liverpool manager in decades that won’t have to face Fergie as a rival in the Premier League.
And even though the Scot is now fully retired from the Old Trafford job for three seasons, he admits that he has mixed feelings about the German taking over at Anfield in an interview on ESPN.
Ferguson feels that the ex-Borussia Dortmund manager will be a grudging success at his new club and has revealed his own dealings with the German over the years,
‘It’s a good appointment, I know him pretty well through our meetings at the coaching classes in Geneva.
‘Strong personality, very stubborn , determined and his performances and his career at Dortmund were stellar in his rise to the top.
‘I think he’ll do very well. I don’t like saying that because it’s Liverpool, I’m worried about it. No, but he’ll do well.’
Klopp’s arrival as Liverpool’s new manager comes in the shadow of ongoing controversy about how the club approaches the transfer market.
Brendan Rodgers would only reveal that he had the ‘final say’ within the transfer committee while it has been speculated that Klopp would only agree to the new role at Anfield if he had full control of who the club signs.
The former Manchester United manager thinks that owners of club have gotten too caught up in saber-metrics and the notion of studying reams of statistics rather than trusting their manger.
Ferguson feels that if Klopp has to work under that system then there could be problems ahead
‘If you don’t trust your manager then why is he there? You have to trust your coach. This is a man who should be deciding what kind of players he wants and the type of player and the position he wants.
‘It’s the manager that knows more than anyone what he wants and what he needs as a coach.
‘There’s lot of this happening now in the game… this ‘Moneyball’ idea, looking at statistics about players and bypassing the mangers thoughts.
‘I think it’s wrong. Why give him a job if he can’t do it? I don’t think Jurgen Klopp will accept that.’
