Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has opened up about why he rejected the chance to take over at Manchester United before eventually joining the Reds.
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, Jurgen Klopp revealed that United approached him in 2013 while he was still managing Borussia Dortmund.
The German coach explained that although the offer was flattering, the timing was wrong and the project didn’t match his football philosophy.
“United tried (to approach me). It was the wrong time, the wrong moment,” Klopp said. “I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn’t have left for anybody. They wanted a new manager and I was one of a few options, I think.”
When asked if he was the one who turned down United, Klopp confirmed, “Yes.” He went on to explain that what he heard in their discussions convinced him it wasn’t the right fit.
“There were some things in the conversations that I didn’t like,” he admitted. “The idea was that big, ‘We get all the players we want, we get him, we get him’, and I was sitting there thinking this is not my project. It was the wrong time but on top of that, it was not my project.”
Klopp stayed loyal to Dortmund before eventually moving to Liverpool in 2015, where he led the club through a remarkable transformation.
During his nine years at Anfield, he won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, restoring Liverpool’s place among Europe’s elite.
Although he stepped down in the summer of 2024, Klopp has hinted that a future return to English football isn’t completely off the table.
“I said I will never coach a team in England again, that means if it’s Liverpool, theoretically it’s possible,” he said. “I don’t know exactly, I love what I do right now. I don’t miss coaching. I do coach now, but just differently.”
Naija News reports that Jurgen Klopp oversees football operations as Global Head of Soccer for Red Bull across the brand’s network of clubs.
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