Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been named LMA Manager of the Year after guiding the Reds to their first Premier League title in 30 years.
The German was the favourite to receive the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy having stormed the league, amassing 99 points and losing just three games in the process.
The former Manchester United boss congratulated the 53-year-old with a video message earlier today, before thanking him for a friendly early morning call when Liverpool clinched the league title last month.
‘Jurgen Klopp, fantastic,’ said the iconic former Manchester United manager. ‘I speak about Leeds United 16 years in the Championship, Liverpool 30 years since winning the league.
‘Incredible. Really thoroughly deserved. The performance level of your team was outstanding. Your personality went right through the whole club. I think it was a marvellous performance.
‘I’ll forgive you for waking me up at half past three in the morning to tell me you’d won the league. Thank you. But anyway you thoroughly deserved it, well done.’
Klopp was also filmed accepting the esteemed gong, before saying a few special words for the legendary Scot.
‘So, I’m absolutely delighted to get this wonderful trophy,’ he said. ‘It’s really wonderful. I saw already the names of who won it before. Obviously some big, big Liverpool names, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny [Dalglish] looks like he’s all over the trophy! Brendan [Rodgers], well deserved.
‘And Sir Alex Ferguson, and I know it’s not 100 per cent appropriate as Liverpool manager but I admire him so much. He’s the first British manager I met. We had breakfast together it was so long ago I don’t know if he remembers it but for me it was like meeting the Pope!
‘It was absolutely great. From the first second we really clicked. I wouldn’t have thought in that moment id hold a trophy in my hands with his name.
‘I am here on behalf of my coaches, I say that a lot of times but I’m okay as a manager but they make us a really special bunch of football brains and I love to work together with them.’
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