Jurgen Klopp exclusive: Steven Gerrard should replace me as Liverpool manager one day

Gerrard is currently in his second season bossing Rangers, who are currently three points behind Celtic after six matches in the Scottish Premiership and kicked off their Europa League group campaign with a 1-0 win over Feyenoord.

Before that, the former midfielder – who played 710 times for the Reds between 1998 and 2015 – was handed the reins of Liverpool’s under-18s side after impressing in his role as a youth coach with his boyhood club.

In an exclusive and wide-ranging cover interview with FourFourTwo magazine, conducted by comedian John Bishop and in shops Friday, Klopp believes Gerrard would be the ideal candidate to replace him when the time comes.  

Answering a question about whether the presence of club legend Kenny Dalglish as a non-executive director was challenging, Klopp replied: “Kenny and Stevie have both been a really big support from day one. 

“Second, my position as a manager has nothing to do with the people around me. If Liverpool were to sack me tomorrow, then maybe Kenny would be the first choice to replace me, but they would probably bring Stevie down from Glasgow. 

“If you ask who should follow me, I’d say Stevie. I help him whenever I can.

“If someone gets your job, it’s not about them, it’s about you not being good enough.

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“I’m old enough to know that I give this job everything. I’m not a genius, I’m not perfect, but I give the club 100 per cent. If that’s enough, great. If it’s not, then it’s just the problem of the situation. 

“I’m not jealous, I’m not sceptical. I’m completely open. If you want my help, you’ll get it. 

“My family often thinks that I’m too quick to open up, but I think being any other way is a waste of time. I love life, I love my job, I like most people – that’s how it is.”

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Read the full interview with Jurgen Klopp in the November 2019 issue of FourFourTwo magazine, out in shops and available digitally from Friday (September 27). We also head to Buenos Aires for another madcap Boca-River Superclasico, shine a light on the murky world of money laundering, catch up with forgotten man Adel Taarabt, go inside Wolverhampton Wanderers and much, much more. It’s a belter. 

The interview with Jurgen Klopp is extracted from A Game Of Two Halves: Famous Football Fans Meet Their Heroes, edited by Amy Raphael and published by Atlantic Books @ £14.99.

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