26 February 2024 , 10:04
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Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Sunday's Carabao Cup final triumph was "easily the most special trophy" he has won during his illustrious reign as Liverpool boss.
Taking into account he has won both the Premier League and the Champions League during his Merseyside stay, that is some claim. However, it also sheds light on why Klopp feels ready to part ways with the club come the end of the current campaign - he has taken the current crop to places some may not have expected, but as shown by the youngsters in Sunday's final against Chelsea, a new wave of talent is ready to emerge.
Jayden Danns, Bobby Clark and James McConnell all featured for the Reds at Wembley for the 1-0 win over the Blues. All three are 19 years of age, not since Arsenal's side in 2007 have more teenagers appeared in a League Cup final, and the Gunners lost that day.
Last month, when Klopp announced his intention to step down from his role as Reds boss come the end of the campaign, reports emerged claiming that he felt his work was nearly done. 'Klopp's Kids' as they were dubbed by Gary Neville, were now ready to play regularly at the highest level and that much was proven against the Blues during the final.
After the game, Klopp told the media: "What we see here today is so exceptional, we might never see again and not because I am on the sideline, because these things don't happen in football.
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"I got told outside that there's an English phrase, 'you don't win trophies with kids' – I didn't know that. Yeah! There are longer careers than mine but in more than 20 years, [it's] easily the most special trophy I ever won. It's absolutely exceptional."
Soon after, he heaped praise on his academy stars, as Klopp added: "In the end, you follow us obviously pretty closely and the development of Bobby Clark... that's really crazy I have to say.
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Jurgen Klopp was delighted with the performance of Liverpool's young talents during the Carabao Cup final (PA)"The development of James McConnell is absolutely insane, and Jayden Danns has only recently joined us in first-team training. I loved him from the first second; really special. And he comes on today, OK he played in the last game, but he can score two goals in a Carabao Cup final. It's absolutely insane."
It was always unrealistic to think Klopp would be in the job long enough to see the likes of McConnell, Clark and Danns become established first-team regulars, but he's overseen the start of their journey. The trio of teenage talent will be forever grateful for that much.
Klopp's assistant coach Pep Ljinders recently revealed that he knew of the manager's imminent departure long before it was confirmed to the rest of the football world, but looking back signs were there. His wish to integrate as much young talent as possible is thought to stem from a desire to set up the squad for the future after he has left the club.
So, with around three months of the season left to go, one trophy in the bag and three more left to fight for as Liverpool sit top of the table, Klopp's on the brink of a fairytale ending.
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