Klopp showed ruthless side with brutal response to Liverpool fringe player

28 January 2024 , 11:32

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Klopp showed ruthless side with brutal response to Liverpool fringe player

Jurgen Klopp shocked the world of football on Friday when he announced his plans to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season, having spent almost nine years in charge.

During his time at Anfield, Klopp has enjoyed great success, with the Reds winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and the League Cup. The German has created a winning culture, while his magnetic charisma has also seen him described as a "menschenfänger" - a German word meaning "people-catcher".

However, Klopp has also shown his ruthless side at times, with the Times recalling a moment he mercilessly put a fringe player in his place. "Listen, if my mum and dad hadn't got together and had me you would never be a Premier League footballer," Klopp is said to have told the player.

Defender Mamadou Sakho has also seen Klopp's ruthless side, having been banished to play with the under-23s for five months after he was repeatedly late on a pre-season tour of America in 2016.

Sakho had arrived late to the airport when the squad was due to fly out to America, delaying their trip. He was also late to a team meal and then failed to turn up at all to a scheduled session with club physios, prompting Klopp to axe the centre-back.

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"I have to build a group here, we have to start new here," he said at the time. "So I thought maybe it made sense for him to fly home to Liverpool and after eight or 10 days when we come back we can talk about it. It's not that serious.

"He nearly missed the departure of the plane, he missed a session and was late for a meal. We have some rules and we have to respect them. If somebody doesn't respect it or somebody gives me the feeling he is not respecting it then I have to react that's all.

Mamadou Sakho was frozen out at Anfield by Klopp (GETTY)

"It is private how he reacted. But we had no argument." Sakho's exile only ended when he completed a loan move to Crystal Palace which eventually became permanent.

Since leaving Liverpool, Sakho spent four full seasons at Selhurst Park before joining Montpellier in 2021. However, the 33-year-old left Montpellier in November following a training ground bust-up with manager Michel der Zakarian.

According to reports from France, Sakho allegedly grabbed his manager by his collar and threw him to the ground, having reacted furiously to a remark from Der Zakarian when a foul was not given in training.

Matthew Cooper