Jurgen Klopp reveals why he rejected Manchester United job after confirming talks

The German confirmed that he held talks over the Old Trafford post back in 2013, when he was thriving at Borussia Dortmund after winning two Bundesliga titles and reaching the Champions League final, and when United were looking for a replacement for the retiring Sir Alex Ferguson.

Klopp said he was one of a number of potential candidates for the role, but turned down the opportunity after being left thoroughly unimpressed by the project presented to him, particularly in terms of the club’s transfer plans.

They later appointed Louis van Gaal, with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag having also all taken permanent charge at Old Trafford before the arrival of Ruben Amorim last year, to go along with interim spells for Ralf Rangnick, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Michael Carrick.

Klopp, meanwhile, stayed at Dortmund for another two seasons before leaving in 2015 and quickly joining Liverpool as a replacement for the sacked Brendan Rodgers, becoming an iconic figure at Anfield during a decade-long stint in which he restored the club to prominence, winning their first title of the Premier League era in addition to the Champions League, FA Cup and two League Cups, plus the FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.

Asked if United had ever called him during his recent appearance on The Diary Of A CEO Podcast, Klopp told host Steven Bartlett: “Yeah, I spoke to them. In the year when Sir Alex retired, they spoke to me. Yeah, of course they were interested at one point.

“At that time, I would have been interested. I was young, I had a sensational team at Dortmund. My God, they probably thought, ‘what is he doing there?’”

Asked why United did not pursue him, Klopp continued: “They tried. It was the wrong time, wrong moment for me. I had a contract at Dortmund, I wouldn’t have left for anybody at that time. They just needed a manager, but the manager they wanted, it was one of a few options I think.”

Asked to clarify if he had turned down United rather than the other way around, he said: “Yeah, that way.”

Pushed on why he had not taken the job, Klopp said: “It’s difficult, we are not now in a private space. There are some reasons. People in that conversation told me things that I didn’t like.

“United was that big, we get all the players we want. We get him, we get him, we get him, we get him. And I was sitting there... it was not my project.

“It was the wrong time, but on top of that it was not my project. I didn’t want to bring back, I don’t know, [Paul] Pogba. Paul is a sensational player, my God, but these things don’t work usually.

“Or Cristiano, my God we all know that he’s altogether with [Lionel] Messi the best player in the world. But bringing back never helps.

“In that time, in 2013, it was obviously not about Cristiano, maybe not even about Paul, I’m not sure. But it was just the idea is we bring the best players together and let’s go.

“It was not at all [about the football]. I said, that’s not for me. And then the pure football project comes up with Liverpool.”

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