Jurgen Klopp lashes out at Gabby Agbonlahor over criticism of Manchester United

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has lashed out at former Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor for his criticism of Manchester United and says the comments were fitting of today’s media coverage.

Agbonlahor played almost 400 times for Villa between 2005 and 2018 but has since turned to punditry. He is one of the most outspoken analysts in the game and Klopp has revealed he took issue with his comments last week.

So much so that the Reds boss says he almost called up talkSPORT to put Agbonlahor right.

Klopp was driving home from Kirkby on Saturday evening when he heard the 35-year-old laying into United’s players for their performance in the 4-0 defeat at Brentford.

Agbonlahor told talkSPORT: “If I was them now after this game I’d be thinking, ‘You know what, (Erik) Ten Hag, just pack up’.

“He’s had pre-season and they have started the season as a shambles, they’re like strangers on the pitch.”

Klopp speaking at Friday’s press conference was incensed. And he believes those views are typical of a media over-reaction to the early-season fortunes of their arch-rivals, whom they face at Old Trafford on Monday night.

“It was that bad,” said Klopp of the criticism and reaction to United’s performance.

“It was obviously not a nice week for United after the Brentford game, we forget in these moments how good Brentford is.

“I watched the first half here and then drove home and listened to talkSPORT and Gaby – he lost against us 6-0 in my first year and I could not remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch – what he said about United, I was close to calling in and tell him ‘You forget completely you have been a player’.

“It was completely unbelievable. And if ex-players go in like this then you can imagine how everything else is going.”

Klopp: Man Utd results won’t count on Monday

Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford and 4-0 at home last term, but those results count for nothing, says Klopp. A new season and a new manager in Erik ten Hag presents a hugely different challenge.

“When we had the two results last year I knew already in that moment it would not help for next year. It was always like this,” said Klopp.

“I could not be less interested in the results from last year – different games, different situations.

“It just helps United to be even more motivated, if that’s possible in the situations we are in.

“This is a completely different game and a different situation.

“I would prefer to play them after they won 5-0, definitely. That is how it is, but it is not dreamland and we have to take it like it is.

“We drew two games, so is it better to play us in a situation like this or is it worse? I don’t know.”

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