PSG striker and long-time Liverpool target Kylian Mbappe has praised Jurgen Klopp‘s influence on the club, with their “ruthless” football making “winning look easy.”
Klopp has long been an admirer of Mbappe, having made an approach for the Frenchman before his £166 million move from Monaco to PSG in 2017.
The Liverpool manager has continually hailed the 21-year-old, and in November said “from a sporting point of view, there are not a lot of reasons to not sign him,” before adding there is “absolutely no chance” of the Reds affording a deal.
Whether that could change in the future remains to be seen, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact of the financial stability of many clubs, but either way, the respect is clearly mutual.
Speaking to the Mirror, Mbappe lavished praise on Liverpool for the way they have “made winning look easy,” and credited Klopp for his role in their transformation.
“This season, Liverpool have been a machine in the Premier League,” he explained.
“They have made winning look easy but the truth is that it is never easy. Performances like they have been having don’t just happen.
“To be as ruthless as they have been would come from lots of hard work in training and from having a very good manager.”
In January, Mbappe offered similar compliments, saying “they play games every three days and they win, they win, they win.”
The striker added in the same interview that “now I’m with PSG and I’m 100 percent with the club,” but insisted the caveat of “after the end of the season, we will see.”
This sparked further speculation over a possible move away from Paris, and there will be few clubs more appealing to Mbappe from a sporting perspective than Liverpool.
Set to seal the Premier League title on the top flight’s resumption next month, the Reds can add this to the series of accolades during Klopp’s reign along with the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
Liverpool are now a priority destination for the best players in the world, and particularly those who are looking to improve further under Klopp.
While he is already valued as a world-class talent, Mbappe could realistically take another step with Klopp’s guidance, which is a frightening prospect given he has already scored 90 and assisted 49 in 120 games for PSG.
For now, it is pure fantasy—but it is hard to ignore how fondly the youngster regards Liverpool.
Fan Comments