Jurgen Klopp joked that David Moyes ‘has to stay’ as West Ham manager ahead of their clash against Liverpool tomorrow night.
The Reds boss was speaking to reporters ahead of the London Stadium clash when he was asked about his Irons counterpart, who’s had to endure speculation over his future during a disappointing season for his team.
The Scot turns 60 today and is the second-oldest manager in the Premier League behind 75-year-old Roy Hodgson…although the current Anfield boss momentarily seemed to forget that one of his predecessors had returned to Crystal Palace a few weeks ago!
Eliciting laughs from the assembled journalists, Klopp said about Moyes in his pre-match press conference (via Liverpool FC on YouTube at 10:40): “If West Ham had sacked David Moyes I would have been the oldest manager in the Premier League and I want to avoid that!…David has to stay!”
Following that good-humoured remark, though, the Reds boss went on to sincerely praise the work of the 60-year-old, who he hailed as ‘a really nice guy’ and ‘a top manager’ who’s taken his team to a European semi-final for the second successive season.
Niceties will be suspended for a couple of hours on Wednesday night, but the West Ham boss will likely appreciate the endorsement from his managerial colleague and take Klopp’s joke in good spirits.
You can see the Liverpool manager’s press conference in full below, via Liverpool FC on YouTube: