Jurgen Klopp responds to criticism over controversial first post-Liverpool job

Jurgen Klopp has defended his move to Red Bull and questioned what role he could've taken that wouldn't have angered fans as he faces backlash for his latest decision

Jurgen Klopp admits he "didn't want to step on anyone's toes" as he addressed the angry reaction to him teaming up with Red Bull.

The ex-Liverpool boss took on his first role since leaving Anfield when he became Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer. Klopp will have an influence on the company's teams - which play in Germany, Austria and the United States.

Klopp had poured water on the idea of him returning to the dugout when he left Liverpool, where he spent nearly nine years. There was a huge clamour for his services but the German opted to take an advisory role with the Austrian company and has questioned how he could've kept fans happy - admitting he was likely going to upset somebody with his next move.

Speaking on Einfach mal Luppen, a podcast hosted by Toni Kroos and his brother, Felix, Klopp said: “I certainly didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. And I personally love all my former clubs. I don’t know exactly what I could have done so that everyone would have been happy.”

The 57-year-old maintains he was never going to sit on the sofa and the opportunity of teaming up with Red Bull was hugely attractive.

“It was always clear, well, it was clear to me, that I wasn’t going to do nothing at all," he said. "And that’s when the Red Bull story came up. So for me it’s outstanding I have to be honest.”

Red Bull, and especially their Leipzig team, who have risen through the leagues and are now regular challengers in the Bundesliga, are widely resented by many German football fans. They view the drinks company as an unwelcome corporate presence trying to buy success.

Borussia Dortmund have a huge rivalry with Leipzig and many of their supporters were left fuming by Klopp's decision to team up with them. He won two Bundesliga titles as their manager but his legacy has been tainted in the eyes of many.

Klopp himself had also been critical of the multi-club model, saying in 2017: "I'm a football romantic and I like tradition in football and all that stuff. In Germany, only two clubs sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' before the game - and that is Mainz and Dortmund."

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