Jurgen Klopp: “I turned down Manchester United and I would not have re-signed Paul Pogba or Cristiano Ronaldo”

Appearing on The Diary of a CEO podcast with Steve Bartlett on Monday, Klopp was asked about United’s strategy following Ferguson’s move.

Manchester United spent heavily on signing a number of high-profile players who ultimately failed to make a lasting impact at Old Trafford, including Angel Di Maria, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.

Jurgen Klopp becomes Red Bull’s head of global football

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The club has also shown a desire to re-sign former stars, with Pogba returning for a then-record £89m in 2016 and Ronaldo making his long-awaited return in 2021.

Klopp was asked if he would approve such a lavish contract if he had gotten the job, and the German was unequivocal.

“We didn’t want to bring back Pogba. He was a sensational player but these things usually don’t work out. Or Cristiano, we all know he is the best player in the world along with (Lionel) Messi, but bringing players back never helps,” he said on the podcast.

“In 2013, it wasn’t about Cristiano, it was probably about Paul, but I’m not sure either, but the idea was: get the best players and let’s go.”

Paul Pogba currently plays for AS Monaco

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Klopp went on to explain that he had been carrying out what he described as a “pure football project”, which ultimately culminated in an offer from Liverpool to replace Brendan Rodgers at Anfield.

Reflecting on United’s approach in 2013, Klopp said: “They approached me the year Sir Alex retired. Of course they were interested. I would have been interested then. I was young and Dortmund had a sensational team. They probably thought, ‘What’s he doing there?'”

“Then I heard that our players, James Milner and Adam Lallana, flew to Real Madrid just to watch us play when we[Dortmund]played in the semi-finals of the Champions League. I mean, there can’t be a higher compliment.

“United tried[to approach me]. It was the wrong time, the wrong moment. I had a contract with Dortmund and I had no intention of leaving for anyone.”

“There were some things I didn’t like in the conversations[with United]. There was a big philosophy of ‘we’ll get all the players we want’ but I was sitting there thinking, this is not my project.”

Klopp has not ruled out a return to Liverpool

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Klopp: Return to Liverpool ‘possible’

Klopp joined Red Bull as global head of football after leaving Liverpool last year after nine highly successful seasons.

At the time, he cited “lack of energy” as the reason for his resignation. While reiterating that he has no intention of returning to managerial duties at this time, the 58-year-old left the door open for a future reunion with Liverpool.

“I said I would never manage another team in England, which means (if I were to return) it would be Liverpool,” Klopp said.

“Well, in theory it’s possible. I love what I do. I don’t miss coaching. Not really. I mean, I’m a coach, just in a different way, I’m not a player.”

“I don’t miss standing in the rain for two and a half to three hours. I don’t miss going to press conferences three times a week and doing 10 to 12 interviews a week. I don’t miss that either.”

“I’ve coached over 1,080 games, and I’ve been in the locker room quite often.

“I’m 58 years old. Old from some points of view, but not so old from others. I’ll be able to make a decision in a few years. If I had to make a decision today, I’d never coach again. But thank God I don’t have to. We’ll see what the future holds.”

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Klopp’s comments came at an awkward time, with the Dutchman going through a difficult period, but the German was quick to praise his successor.

Slots: Liverpool still haven’t lost confidence despite consecutive defeats

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Reflecting on his move in the summer of 2024, Klopp said: “We had a lot of contact after that. He’s a very good guy. He brought out the best in this team and we became champions in an incredible way.”

“It’s not about Arn showing the world what he’s capable of, it’s about getting the best out of the team and that’s exactly what he did.

“Change always has an impact, and change always takes time.

“If he keeps exactly the same team as last season, let’s say Darwin Nunez is still there, Luis Diaz is still there, they start playing and they have problems and (people) say, ‘We need a change.’

“Now we have new players there. They are really good players. Things are not going well at the moment. They need time to develop. Nobody can change that. People need time to adapt. It’s all good.”