Jurgen Klopp has not ruled out a return to football at some point, but the former Liverpool boss has revealed it may not be in management.
Klopp left his role at Liverpool at the end of last season after a hugely successful nine-year spell admitting he was “running out of energy”.
He departed Anfield to take a year out of the game but despite his sabbatical, he has already been linked to a number of jobs, including replacing Gareth Southgate, who resigned after an eight-year reign as England boss.
Former Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp, speaking at the Coaches’ Congress in Wurzburg, ruled himself out of the running for the England post, and any other management post, suggesting he may never return to the game as a manager.
He said: “As of today, that’s it for me as a coach.
“I didn’t quit on a whim, but it was a general decision. I’ve also coached the best clubs in the world.
“Maybe we can talk about it again in a few months. I still want to work in football and help people with my experience and contacts. Let’s see what else there is for me.”
When asked what kind of job opportunities his adviser Marc Kosicke had been bringing to him since he left Liverpool in May, Klopp replied: “I have nothing to say about that.
“At the moment, there is nothing at all in terms of jobs. No club, no country.
“It doesn’t matter who calls: In my resignation statement, I said that I wouldn’t coach any country or club for a year. Some people must have missed that part. The very next day, someone called, and I said, ‘Are you crazy? I just explained that yesterday’.”
When the moderator raised reported interest from Euro 2024 finalists England following Gareth Southgate’s resignation, Klopp said: “That would be the biggest loss of face in the history of football if I said, ‘I’ll make an exception for you.’ I know how lucky I am in this situation. There are a lot of managers here and the situation where the phone doesn’t stop ringing and you can go anywhere is a fortune that few have. However, the timing couldn’t be worse to contact me.”
“I’m going to do some work”, he added. “I’m too young to only do padel tennis and grandchildren. Will that be coach again? I would actually rule that out at the moment.
“Let’s see what it will look like in a few months. Nothing is coming through at the moment.”
