Jurgen Klopp reveals why he turned down Man Utd job

Martin Macdonald

Updated: 20 Oct 2025 17:03 BST
3 min read

Jurgen Klopp has outlined why he previously turned down the job of Manchester United manager.

When Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement for the end of the 2012/13 campaign, United faced the uphill task of attempting to replace the legendary Scot.

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Names like Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and Klopp were mentioned, though the job eventually went to Ferguson's compatriot, David Moyes.

Klopp was a target again when Moyes was sacked.

In an interview on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Klopp revealed that he wasn't seduced by the club's vision.

"Yes, I spoke to them [Manchester United]," he explained.

"In the year when Sir Alex Ferguson retired they spoke to me. Of course they were interested.

"At one point. At that time I would have been interested. I was young, I had a sensational team at Dortmund, my God. They probably thought 'what is he doing there?'

"They tried. It was the wrong time, wrong moment. I had a contract at Dortmund and wouldn't have left, not really for nobody at that time.

"There are some reasons [why he didn't take the job]. The people in that conversation told me [things] which I didn't like.

"United was that big - 'we get all the players we want. We get him, we get him, we get him, we get him', and I was sitting there … It was not my project.

"It was the wrong time but on top of that it was not my project."

Could Klopp return to Liverpool?

After years in domestic wilderness, Klopp led Liverpool to their first Premier League title and also won the Champions League with the Reds.

He subsequently left the club after a successful spell and was replaced by Dutchman Arne Slot, who took Liverpool to another Premier League win in 2024/25.

Klopp is still beloved at Anfield, so is there a possibility he could ever return?

When asked the question, the German responded:

"I said I will never coach a different team in England so that means, if [I did return], then it's Liverpool.

"So, yeah, theoretically it is possible."

Host Steven Bartlett pressed Klopp on what would need to happen for the manager to return to Liverpool.

Klopp isn't sure, but he certainly doesn't miss the day-to-day grind of club management.

"I don't even know exactly. I love what I do now. I don't miss coaching. I don't. I do coach but it's just different, it's not players.

"I don't miss it. I don't miss standing in the rain for two-and-a-half or three hours. I also don't miss going to press conferences three times a week.

"Having 10 or 12 interviews a week, I don't miss that. I don't. I don't miss being in the dressing room. I coached around 1,080 games so I was in the dressing room very, very often.

"I don't want to die in the dressing room. It's these kind of things. I'm 58. From your perspective that might be old, but from other perspectives, it's not that old.

"That means I could make a decision in a few years. I don't know. Do I have to make a decision today? I will not coach again, but thank God I do not have to do that, I can just see what the future brings."

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