A former Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, has disclosed that he turned down the opportunity to manage Manchester United in 2013, saying the project presented to him at the time “was not for me.”

Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast published on Monday, the German tactician said he held talks with United after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement but was put off by what he was told during discussions.

He said, “Yes, I spoke to them [Manchester United]. In the year when Sir Alex Ferguson retired they spoke to me. Of course they were interested.”

Klopp explained that while he was flattered by the offer, he felt it was not the right time to leave Borussia Dortmund, where he was then thriving.

“At one point. At that time I would have been interested. I was young, I had a sensational team at Dortmund, my God. They probably thought, ‘what is he doing there?

“They tried. It was the wrong time, wrong moment. I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn’t have left, not really for nobody at that time,” he said.

Klopp also cited philosophical differences as part of the reason he turned down the job, saying he did not share United’s vision.

He said, “There are some reasons [why he didn’t take the job]. The people in that conversation told me [things] which I didn’t like.

“United was that big — ‘we get all the players we want. We get him, we get him, we get him, we get him,’ and I was sitting there… It was not my project. It was the wrong time but on top of that it was not my project.”

The German added that he was not convinced by the idea of re-signing former players as part of the club’s rebuild.

“I didn’t want to bring back, I don’t know, Pogba. Paul is a sensational player, my God, but these things don’t work usually. Or Cristiano, my God, we all know together with Messi he Is the best player in the world, but bringing back never helps.

“At that time in 2013, it was obviously not about Cristiano, maybe about Paul, I’m not even sure. [I don’t] get the numbers [dates] together, but the idea is we bring the best players together and let’s go,” he stated.

The 57-year-old, who left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season after nine trophy-laden years, also hinted that a return to Anfield could be possible in the future.

“I said I will never coach a different team in England so that means, if [I did return], then it’s Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically it is possible,” Klopp stated.

When asked what might inspire such a comeback, he said, “I don’t even know exactly. I love what I do now. I don’t miss coaching. I don’t. I do coach but it’s just different, it’s not players.”

He added, “I don’t miss it. I don’t miss standing in the rain for two-and-a-half or three hours. I also don’t miss going to press conferences three times a week. Having 10 or 12 interviews a week, I don’t miss that. I don’t. I don’t miss being in the dressing room. I coached around 1,080 games so I was in the dressing room very, very often. I don’t want to die in the dressing room.”

Reflecting on his career and future, Klopp said he remains open-minded.

He side “I’m 58. From your perspective that might be old, but from other perspectives, it’s not that old. That means I could make a decision in a few years. I don’t know. Do I have to make a decision today? I will not coach again, but thank God I do not have to do that, I can just see what the future brings.” (The PUNCH)