Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Klopp Was The Reason To Turn Down Liverpool

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been turning up the heat after a poor start to his Premier League career at Manchester United and he did have a great chance to score against Liverpool. There was a lot being said about this big battle and the Armenian did speak out about his relationship with Jurgen Klopp and a potential move to Liverpool.

The attacker was linked with a move to Merseyside before he moved to Borussia Dortmund and the current Manchester United star opened up about almost joining the Reds.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Mkhitaryan said,

“I spoke two or three times on the phone to [Liverpool manager] Brendan Rodgers, he was saying he really wanted me and that I’d get to play with Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard.

“Half of me thought I had to go there, the other half was not so confident, that the gap to the Premier League might be too big for a skinny player from the Ukrainian League.

“Two weeks later, Jurgen Klopp broke off his holiday on an island next to Denmark to come and see me in Dortmund.

“I knew he had a good reputation for working with younger players and, after we met, I felt more comfortable to sign for Dortmund. I think I made the right decision.”

Klopp is a good person

The Armenian also had words of praise for Jurgen Klopp, his former manager, even though the German is on the opposite side.

“He was always next to you if there were playing problems or life problems. He is a good person,” Mkhitaryan said of Klopp.

Mkhitaryan also gave an insight into the footballing life that Klopp has and his philosophy for the game.

“In particular, he helped me a lot because I was thinking too much about football.

“I took defeats too seriously, I’d obsess about any chances I missed.

“He told me that it’s just life and I had to let it go because when the next chance comes, I needed to be in the right frame of mind to take it.

“I learned to realise that everyone makes mistakes in life and you can’t worry on the pitch. You have to forget about it.”

While Mkhitaryan turned up for the other red, he could have been a great option to have for the Merseyside club during the Suarez and Gerrard era. Even though Mkhitaryan moved to the Bundesliga, there were always rumours of him moving to Liverpool and England.

Had he moved to the Reds, they could have picked up that title in 2013-14 but now he is playing for their biggest rivals and Liverpool fans will hope he doesn’t win a lot with the Red Devils.