Jurgen Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of this season, and the manager is already assured legend status at Anfield after leading the club to several major titles during his time in charge.
Klopp could bolster his reputation even further if Liverpool remain on top of the Premier League standings through the end of the season — plus the Reds are still alive in the Europa League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Even if he fails to lead his side to any of the trophies on offer this season, a former Liverpool player says the German has already earned his place alongside the greats.
Speaking to Paddy Power, Mark Lawrenson likened Klopp to managers from rival clubs who have taken on a larger-than-life stature. Lawrenson, who patrolled Liverpool's back line for most of the 1980s, credits Klopp's longevity at a time when managers are kept on a very short leash.
“Jürgen Klopp is up there with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger," Lawrenson said. "Nine years ago, when you took the job, if someone said that he would still be there after nine years, you would’ve said no chance – it's the Premier League.
"At the top, if you lose three or four games, your P45 arrives with your next pay slip. He’s been a different kind of manager, but I’d put him alongside Bill Shankly, Kenny Dalglish and Bob Paisley. He’ll get a statue – he is some manager.”
While Lawrenson mentioned Klopp in the same breath as Dalglish, he stopped short of putting the German in a higher class than the "King."
“I don’t think Jürgen Klopp will go down as greater than Kenny Dalglish – there's a reason why he’s called King Kenny," he said. "Klopp has earned the right to decide when he leaves, and I think this is a really great way of doing it.
"FSG have known since November, so behind the scenes they’ll have a few people lined up to take the job. It’s strange – but people are getting used to it.”
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