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Jurgen Klopp was once too ashamed to ask one Liverpool player who he was(Image: Michael Regan, Getty Images/Getty Images For The Premier League)

Former Liverpool full-back Brad Smith harbours no resentment towards Jurgen Klopp despite being offloaded by the German.

Klopp had only been at the Anfield helm for half a season when Smith's eight-year spell in Liverpool came to an end.

The defender, 31, saw limited action under Klopp's predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, after rising through the ranks of Liverpool's youth system.



Even though Klopp was the one to give Smith his big break in the first team, their early interactions were not without some awkwardness.

The Reds squad Klopp inherited in late 2015 boasted talent but lacked the depth he desired as he aimed to end the club's trophy drought.

And Smith, it seemed, was not immediately on his radar upon his arrival.

"We played in Sion on a frozen pitch [in December 2015]," Klopp told the Telegraph (via the Mirror) "I learned a day before that we had Brad Smith and he stood right next to me in training and it was too embarrassing to ask him who he was."

This revelation is perhaps unexpected given Smith had set up Divock Origi for a goal in a resounding League Cup quarter-final victory over Southampton just days prior.

He ended up heading back to England from Liverpool's pre-season tour in the US to seal a move to Bournemouth, yet he's forever grateful to his former manager.

Article continues belowBrad Smith was named Liverpool Academy Players' Player of the Season before leaving for Bournemouth(Image: Andrew Powell)

"Every time I go back there with Bournemouth he'll give me a big Klopp hug and we'll have a little chat," he said in 2019.

Those were the first real steps to Klopp began leaving a mark that would pave the way for future Premier League and Champions League glory.

On the first anniversary of Klopp's Liverpool farewell, Smith's story serves as a testament to the kind of relationships he fostered with his players, whether they were superstars or not.