Jurgen Klopp reportedly discussed the merits of working with Pep Lijnders before Pep Guardiola hired him as his new Manchester City assistant.

In one of the strangest moves of the summer, ex-Liverpool assistant Lijnders has joined up with the club who, for much of Klopp's time in charge at Anfield, were the Reds' fiercest Premier League title rivals.

Guardiola needed another experienced head in the dugout following the departures of coaches Juanma Lillo, Carlos Vicens and Inigo Dominguez at the end of last season.



And the City manager began sounding out figures associated with Liverpool for references on Lijnders long before the deal was signed off.

Jurgen Klopp played huge role in Pep Ljinders joining Man City as relationship clear	Man City confirms appointment of ex-Liverpool coach Pep Ljinders with hint at big changes to come	Former Man City star set to join Pep Guardiola's coaching staff for Club World Cup after backroom reshuffle saw Jurgen Klopp's former assistant Pep Lijnders recruited

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During a trip to Southampton for a Premier League match in May, Guardiola spoke with former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana about what it was like to work with the Dutchman.

According to The Athletic, he also discussed Lijnders with Klopp.

The iconic ex-Liverpool boss is understood to have given him a 'glowing' review, emphasising his contribution to the Reds' trophy haul during his time in charge.

On that basis, it appears as though Klopp holds no bad blood, despite the major falling-out Lijnders recounted in the documentary 'Doubters To Believers Liverpool FC: Klopp's Era'.

Lijnders said: "I remember that I really fought, properly fought, for Conor [Bradley] to be our No.

He told the Liverpool website in 2017: "What I really like is that he's smart enough to think, 'Okay, it's not the time for [me to be a manager] yet', even when there are younger managers around the world.

"It's a long way to go and he can still get a lot of information from us and I like how he takes it.
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