28 January 2024 , 17:54
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Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson said the Reds' squad were in shock when Jurgen Klopp announced to them that he would depart at the end of the season.
The German coach is set to bring a nine-year stint at Anfield to an end come the close of 2023/24, despite having two years remaining on his contract. The shock announcement arrived on Friday with the 56-year-old admitting he was running out of energy to continuing managing the Premier League giants.
Klopp would have preferred to leave everyone in the dark until the end of season and depart having lifted more trophies. However, he informed club officials as early as November of his decision and coaches Pepijn Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos will all depart at the same time.
It is a moment that will signal a significant shift at Liverpool, such has been Klopp's influence and that will be felt more keenly in the dressing room than anywhere else. Robertson, who has played under the former Borussia Dortmund boss since 2017, believes Klopp's decision should be respected, but does not believe that he will get his every wish.
Speaking following Liverpool's FA Cup win over Norwich, Robertson said: "Yeah, I think like the rest of the world, It was a bit of shock when he told us all. Nobody really knew where to look or what to do but you have to respect his decision.
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"He’s obviously thought long and hard about it, he’s not a rash person, he’s obviously thought along with it in terms of with his family and everything like that and for what he’s done for this club we’ll all be forever grateful and yeah he doesn’t want the fans singing his song and that but I think he’s going to lose that battle unfortunately. I think the fans always want to say a proper goodbye to him.
"But for us players, the one thing he has always told us is that it has to be business as usual, we have to keep fighting on all fronts, we have to try and keep winning games and hopefully that results in giving him a send off that he truly deserves.”
Liverpool fans display a Jurgen Klopp banner during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Norwich City (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)Curtis Jones, who opened the scoring with a header against the Canaries, believes that Klopp's departure will be a big motivator for the squad. He said: "Definitely. We had our goals at the start of the season and now the news is out, we'll be giving it more."
The midfielder believes it will change little in their ambition however. The 23-year-old added: "Just carry on. We have our goals that we've set and nothing has changed. It's sad for the whole club but he is a man and we respect that."