Further details reveal just how close Klopp was to taking Man Utd job

Jonny Whitfield 20 Nov 2019 9:50 AM

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp attended three meetings about joining Manchester United in 2014, leaving Ed Woodward to believe he was close to sealing a deal for the German, according to reports.

Klopp, who was still the manager at Borussia Dortmund at the time, arrived on Merseyside in October 2015 and has led the Reds to Champions League glory and their highest-ever Premier League points tally.

However, according to The Sun, things could have turned out differently for Klopp, who eventually turned down a move to Old Trafford due to United’s focus on “commercial influences”.

The newspaper says that the Red Devils held three meetings with Klopp about succeeding David Moyes, with the discussions leading executive vice-chairman Woodward to believe that he was close to getting his first-choice appointment.

As a club insider told the paper: “Ed thought Klopp was the right man. Ed thought Klopp was going to come. But right at the end, he felt he owed it to Dortmund to stay for one more year.”

In the end, United chose to appoint Louis van Gaal as Moyes’ successor, with the Dutchman leading the club to an FA Cup triumph in the 2015/16 campaign.