Nearly two weeks on from his final game as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has given a hint as to his long-term plans.
The German was given a glorious send-off at an emotional event in the city on Tuesday night, during which he shed tears as fans burst into the chant bearing his name to show their appreciation for him.
The 56-year-old has stepped away from football after stating in January that he was ‘running out of energy’ from more than two decades in management and now looks set to enjoy some time at his villa in Majorca, but it seems that we haven’t seen the last of him in the sport that he’s graced for so long.
Speaking to the Willipedia podcast (via Bild), Klopp insisted: “It’s out of the question that I’ll stop working altogether, but I don’t see myself continuing at the same pace as before at the moment.”
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If ever someone deserved a few months of downtime after spending years at the coalface of football, it’s Jurgen Klopp.
The man gave everything of himself in the pursuit of trophies at Liverpool and building a team to consistently compete at the highest level, and as heartbreaking as it was to hear him announce his departure from Anfield in January, we can totally understand his reasons for choosing to step away.
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An extended period away from the sport could be exactly what the 56-year-old needs in order to rediscover his love for the game and duly get back involved in some capacity, whether that’s as a manager or in a different job specification.
Of course, Klopp hasn’t completely cut his ties with the Merseyside club, as he continues to be a proud ambassador for the LFC Foundation.
We’ve no doubt that he’ll have a few more visits to Anfield over the coming years, most likely in a far more relaxed role than the infectious ball of energy that we witnessed in the technical area for almost nine years.
Football will be all the richer for having him back involved, whenever the time comes for him to return.