Gary Neville has unequivocally declared Jurgen Klopp as the premier manager in world football, expressing his eagerness to have the Liverpool boss replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United at the earliest opportunity.
Klopp, 56, took charge of Liverpool in October 2015, succeeding Brendan Rodgers and orchestrating a remarkable transformation in the club’s fortunes both on and off the pitch.
His tenure culminated in a Champions League triumph in 2019, followed by the ending of Liverpool’s 30-year Premier League title drought in the 2019/20 season.
Despite facing challenges in the 2021/22 season, Klopp guided Liverpool to success in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, a second-place finish in the Premier League, and a third appearance in the Champions League final in five years.
While acknowledging Pep Guardiola’s genius at Manchester City, Neville, the former United defender, firmly places Klopp above, stating that if given the choice, he would appoint Klopp as Ten Hag’s successor at Manchester United, rather than opting for Guardiola.
In an interview on The Daily Ketchup podcast, Neville was asked to name the world’s best coach, and he responded, “I’d say Jurgen Klopp. Jurgen Klopp works with a budget which is far less than Pep Guardiola.
Pep Guardiola is a genius, and he’ll be the one who’s remembered forever more. But Jurgen Klopp, for me, is an amazing manager.
If you said to me which manager could I bring to Manchester United tomorrow, it would be Jurgen Klopp.”
This isn’t the first time Neville has praised Klopp. In September 2022, he defended Klopp amid criticism and expressed admiration for the Liverpool manager’s commitment to the club.