Jurgen Klopp has reacted to the imminent appointment of Ralph Rangnick as Manchester United manager, saying it's not good news
Jurgen Klopp admits Rangnick's imminent arrival at Manchester United is "unfortunate" for Liverpool and other Premier League clubs.
Rangnick, currently head of sports ad development at Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow, is expected to become interim manager at Old Trafford until the end of the season following the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier this month.
The 63-year-old is regarded as a key role model for a generation of talented German coaches which includes Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann.
Klopp encountered the 63-year-old throughout his coaching career in Germany with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, and has long expressed his admiration of the style used by his teams.
Rangnick made a name for himself in his homeland as a manager and a sporting director, famously developing RB Leipzig into the European force they are today.
And Klopp has intimated United will become a bigger threat with his compatriot in the dugout.
The Liverpool boss said in his press conference on Friday: "Unfortunately a good coach is coming to England, to Manchester United! That's how it is.
"Ralf is obviously a really experienced manager. He built most famously two clubs from nowhere to proper threats and forces in Germany with Hoffenheim and Leipzig.
"He did a lot of different jobs in football but always his first concern was being a coach and a manager. That's what his best skill is, obviously.
"United will be organised on the pitch, we should realise that - that's obviously not good news for other teams!
"United will be organised on the pitch, we should realise that - that's obviously not good news for other teams!
"But all coaches in the word, we need time to train with our teams and Ralf will pretty quickly realise he has no time to train as they play all the time, so that makes it a bit tricky for him.
"Apart from that, a really good man and an outstanding coach, if it happens, will come to England."
Klopp added: "Between the coaches (in Germany) he is very highly regarded, and wherever he was he did an incredible job.
"He started early as a very very, young man at Stuttgart coaching the second team and going from there. I'm pretty sure he then went to Ulm and took them to the Bundesliga which was insane at that time.
"We faced each other for the first time when I was a very young coach and he was at Hanover, he might have forgotten that.
"They always played our opponent the week later, so he called me, the young manager at Mainz, and asked plenty of questions. I was happy that big Ralf Rangnick was calling me but he got all the information he needed.
"They got promoted, we didn't. So he owes me still something!
"In the football world in Germany, he is very, very well regarded, and rightly so."