Loris Karius has claimed that Liverpool did not force him to leave the club in the summer. The German joined Besiktas on a two-year loan and saw his No.1 spot being taken by Alisson.

However, the German revealed he still respects Jurgen Klopp and has a great relationship with the manager.

Karius was speaking to Bild (h/t ESPN) and said:

“We have a good relationship.

“He signed me from Mainz. I could have also stayed at Liverpool and played a few matches, but I wanted to be No. 1 [somewhere] and get regular game time.

“Nobody told me that I must leave. It was no escape from Liverpool. I still have a good relationship with the people there.”

The former Mainz keeper further claimed that questions would be asked about his ability but highlighted a German legend who also made mistakes during his career.

“Oliver Kahn also made a big mistake in the 2002 World Cup final and came back stronger. I’d rather focus on that than think about how long the Champions League final will still be with me. I want to put it behind me instead of bottling up everything.”

The 25-year-old further added that Klopp was in constant communication with the keeper throughout the summer and never blamed him for the Champions League loss.

It is refreshing to hear that we didn’t push him out and we wish Karius the best as he looks to reignite his career elsewhere.

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Besiktas is a great destination for the German as he is away from the English media and hopefully, he will prove his critics wrong in Turkey.