Jurgen Klopp reckons Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was only handed the Manchester United job because he is steeped in Old Trafford history.
The Liverpool boss is full of admiration for the work Solskjaer is doing at United.
But he believes it was more by luck than good judgement that the club turned to the man who scored the goal that won the Champions League and clinched the Treble in 1999 when they were looking for a successor to Jose Mourinho – rather than go for a big-name manager.
Klopp will be looking for his first-ever win at Old Trafford today.
And he said: “I think it is clear that if Ole wouldn’t have had that history as a player at United – and a very successful history –then not many people at the club would have thought about him as the manager.
(Image: PA)
“But because he did a brilliant job at Molde and he has a Manchester history, I think there was an idea and no one knew how it would work.
“But it worked out absolutely sensationally from the beginning, then with a little dip, and then now they look good.
“Of course, Ole deserves credit for that, together with his coaches, because it’s always a team effort. If you must have 50 Champions League games as a manager before you can take a job like Manchester United then it would be really tricky because there are not many coaches out there with that experience.
“So it is nice. United are doing really well. I am happy for him.
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“Even though he coaches a club I don’t think too often about, I am really happy for a fellow manager who does really well.”
It was after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield in December 2018 that Mourinho was sacked and replaced by Solskjaer.
But the German coach has not won at Old Trafford in his six previous visits.
Liverpool’s last victory on United soil was more than seven years ago – but Klopp insists he is unconcerned by that record.
However, with his side running out of games to break into the top four, this a must-win visit.
Klopp said: “We drew there in a Europa game – and that one felt like a win. But it is not a problem because we have to win football games – and the first game we have to win is this one.
“It’s not important, believe me. If you haven’t won there for the last 10 games in a row it doesn’t make a massive difference.
“The longer you don’t win there the more likely it is that at one point you will win. We will just keep trying until it happens.”
