‘Is that this a joke?’ – Trent Alexander-Arnold explains how Liverpool squad learnt of Jurgen Klopp exit
Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed the Liverpool squad didn’t obtain a lot prior warning that Jurgen Klopp was going to depart the membership.
Klopp will stand down from his place as supervisor on the finish of the 2023/24 season, bringing down the curtain on one of many Reds’ most memorable eras.
Whereas the German confirmed to the Liverpool board in non-public of this resolution again in November, the broader world didn’t discover out till his announcement in late January.
Talking to Jamie Carragher at a Soccer For Change occasion on Monday, Alexander-Arnold admitted Klopp’s resolution took the dressing room unexpectedly and detailed how they came upon.
“It began like a standard day. Then the supervisor known as a gathering at 10:30am, which we had by no means had earlier than, so everybody was like, ‘What’s happening?’,” Alexander-Arnold mentioned, as quoted by The Athletic.
“He got here into the altering rooms and instructed us there was information breaking as he was talking. So we came upon as gamers similtaneously everybody else however he instructed us personally.
“He mentioned that this needed to be his final season, that he wanted a break to spend time along with his household. I didn’t know what to do. You suppose, ‘Is that this a joke?’. None of us had been anticipating it. After he left the room, everybody was simply sat there considering, ‘Has that simply occurred?’. Then it’s a must to get on with it, going out to coach in an hour, doing all of your job.”
When requested if the gamers are motivated by giving Klopp a becoming send-off, Alexander-Arnold replied: “100%. That was one thing that Virgil [van Dijk] mentioned to us all after Jurgen had instructed us. He mentioned: ‘That is large information that is going to rock the footballing world however we will not let it distract us, we’ve to make use of it as motivation. The supervisor has led us to a lot success, he is enabled us to fulfil our goals, so we owe it to him to present all the pieces we presumably can to present him the most effective send-off’.
“Virg mentioned if folks suppose that is going to make us take our eye off the ball then we have to show them incorrect. It was massive information however as professionals, it’s a must to get your head round it rapidly and transfer on.”
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