Jürgen Klopp blames fatigue for decision to leave Liverpool at end of season |

Jürgen Klopp blamed fatigue for his bombshell decision to stand down as Liverpool manager after almost nine years in the job and insisted nothing could make him U-turn like Sir Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United.

Klopp is under contract at Liverpool, a club he transformed after replacing Brendan Rodgers in October 2015, until 2026 but has opted to leave at the end of this season – two years early – having grown tired of the intense demands on the role. He informed Mike Gordon, the president of Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, of his decision in November but told Liverpool’s players only before training on Friday. The search for Klopp’s replacement is under way but Liverpool maintain no approaches have been made. The former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is likely to be among the frontrunners having led Bayer Leverkusen to the top of the Bundesliga.

Klopp claimed he would have no say in the appointment of his successor. Also unlike Ferguson, who chose David Moyes as his replacement at United and changed his mind on retiring midway through the 2001‑02 ­season, he insisted he would not reconsider even if his team won all four available trophies this season.

“No,” stated Klopp, when asked whether anything could make him perform a Ferguson-style U-turn. “Alex Ferguson did that? No, nothing. I really thought a lot about it and because of our relationship – mine with the club – the situation is always clear. I have to make the decision at one point, because nobody else will, because of the trust and respect we have for each other. And the owners knew I would take the decision. I don’t want to hang around and do the job somehow. I thought it through properly.

“I want [to win] everything this season and it wouldn’t change my mind. If we don’t win anything it wouldn’t change my mind. It’s a decision I made independent of any kind of results. A big one is the potential of the team. I really see it is a really good basis, not more, we are not better than other teams or whatever, but we have a good basis to work with and that’s really important. That’s why it is a good moment to give it to someone else.”

Klopp was drained by last season’s disappointments, when Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in seven years, and enthused by the midfield recruitment drive that followed in the summer. However, despite Liverpool recovering their position as the biggest challenger to Manchester City’s dominance, Klopp realised he lacked the energy required for the job when planning the 2024-25 pre-season last November.

He said: “Realising how good this team can be gave me a lot of joy. In this moment, I love each minute. It is just the stuff you have to do next. The planning, the transfer window, planning pre-season. All these things you need to be spot on and I did it so often. I had six press conferences a week…