Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed that he once turned down an opportunity to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, describing the club’s approach as the “wrong time” and “not my project.”
Speaking on Steve Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast on Monday, Klopp disclosed that Manchester United approached him in 2013, while he was still managing Borussia Dortmund, shortly after Ferguson’s retirement.
“United tried (to approach me). It was the wrong time, wrong moment,” Klopp said. “I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn’t have left for anybody. They wanted a new manager and I was one of a few options, I think.”
When asked to confirm whether he rejected United rather than the club deciding otherwise, Klopp responded, “Yes.”
He went on to explain that some aspects of United’s proposal did not align with his footballing philosophy or personal vision.
“There were some things in the conversations that I didn’t like. The idea was that big — ‘We get all the players we want, we get him, we get him’ — and I was sitting there thinking this is not my project. It was the wrong time but on top of that, it was not my project.”
At the time, Klopp was enjoying great success at Borussia Dortmund, having led the German club to two Bundesliga titles and a UEFA Champions League final appearance.
He eventually joined Liverpool in 2015, where he spent nine years transforming the club into one of Europe’s most dominant sides, winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup before stepping down in the summer of 2024.
