'Jurgen Klopp has respected Liverpool - he hasn't behaved like Sir Alex Ferguson'
Jurgen Klopp's approach has contrasted with Sir Alex Ferguson following their departures from Liverpool and Manchester United.
Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen has commended Jurgen Klopp for maintaining his distance from Liverpool since departing the club in the summer of 2024, drawing a contrast with the conduct of ex-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. While the legendary former United boss has remained a prominent figure at Old Trafford, Owen believes Klopp's choice to largely keep away from Anfield following his exit has shown respect towards his successor, Arne Slot.
The England icon's observations follow the legendary German boss's remarks in October on the prospect of an Anfield return, suggesting it was theoretically feasible. The simple presence of a club legend observing their successors is undoubtedly a source of tension for many managers in world football.
Owen indicated that the almost permanent presence of Sir Alex at Old Trafford since the legendary Scot stepped down from United in 2013 has impacted the succession of managers who've tried to follow in his footsteps.
Slot secured the Premier League title in his debut campaign on Merseyside, but has endured difficulties this season, with some supporters demanding his dismissal. Nevertheless, Klopp has observed from a distance, only returning for a legends charity encounter against Borussia Dortmund earlier this month.
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Owen told The Mirror, with Casino.org: "If you look down the East Lancs [road], then, you know, people have had a go at Sir Alex Ferguson for, for 10, 15 years, and basically, Sir Alex says very, very little. He rarely does interviews. He's never, ever, ever been, you know, disparaging or disrespectful to a Manchester United manager.
"He basically sits in the stand and watches his old team. Now, Jurgen Klopp doesn't do that. He doesn't come back and sit in the director's box and look down on the manager. The role that he's in, at Red Bull, he is thrown in front of journalists an awful lot."
"You know, he is getting asked these questions, and I'm pretty sure that if he didn't have to do the press, he wouldn't be out on X, and writing out statements about the state of Liverpool.
"I don't think he wants to do that. But obviously, it's probably part of his job to do the press sometimes and people ask him. So, no, I think in the main, Jurgen Klopp has been very respectful towards the Liverpool manager. He was keen to back Slot and he even started the song at Anfield, didn't he?"
Despite Slot earning some respite following Liverpool's dramatic late victory on Sunday against local rivals Everton, the heat on the Dutchman has not subsided. Owen, who netted 158 goals across eight seasons at Anfield, believes Klopp could yet return to the Liverpool dugout should Slot depart the club this summer.
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However, he made clear that such a scenario is perhaps more fantasy than reality, referencing Klopp's original justification for standing down: that the German was depleting the energy necessary to guide a Premier League and Champions League-competing club.
"I would say it's wishful thinking, but you'd never know, do you? You absolutely never know," Owen said. "They say never go back. It was just such an amazing, brilliant and beautiful dream of a period for Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp in charge.
"Some of the happiest moments of a lot of Liverpool fans' lives will be the Klopp era. So, I'm sure that lots of Liverpool fans would dream of that scenario. And I guess if he's going to click his fingers and [Klopp] said, 'Right, I want to come back', then Liverpool would have a big decision to make because it's not like the current management are pulling up trees. Once it's in your blood, it's hard to get out, isn't it? That's the thing.
"So I do see it in many ways. I do see Jurgen Klopp potentially wanting to come back to management, but he did manage Liverpool for a long, long time and obviously decided, 'Right, time's up' - whether he'd want to go and do it again [I don't know]. Because you need some energy to go and pick it all up again and start again from afresh. It would be fascinating, but I would say more wishful thinking rather than reality."
