Erik ten Hag gives his reaction to Jurgen Klopp’s shock departure announcement

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Erik ten Hag has given his reaction to the shock news from Liverpool that Jurgen Klopp will leave the club in the summer.

When Erik ten Hag joined Manchester United in the summer of 2022, the Dutchman was asked whether he could topple the dominance of Liverpool and Manchester City.

“Eras come to an end” was the gist of Ten Hag’s response which has been made fun of online with the Red Devils’ current struggles seeing them out of the Champions League and cut adrift from the top four in the Premier League.

The Red Devils couldn’t be further from the title race but ironically the Dutchman was spot on with his assessment of the situation in 2022.

Ten Hag on Jurgen Klopp

Speaking at his press conference, the Dutchman was asked for his immediate reaction to the German’s decision to step down from Anfield.

“It’s no good for the Premier League,” Ten Hag told the Manchester Evening News. “So he has made an era there, he built the club, he brought the club back where they belong, so congratulations on that. He has done an amazing job in Liverpool.

“I can understand [he ran out of energy]. Nine years is a long time. I think it’s a period of building up, achieving targets but also I think setbacks and going into difficult periods.

“The Premier League is very intense, the combination with European club football, when you’re there nine years it’s a long period and I can understand he is running out of energy and that is one of his arguments to step down.”

Ten Hag’s record against Klopp

The pair will only do battle in four games before the German leaves the club and the records are incredibly even. It was a 2-1 win for Ten Hag’s men against Liverpool that kickstarted the Dutchman’s reign at Old Trafford in 2022.

Later in the season, after the Red Devils won the Carabao Cup, they took a trip to Anfield feeling confident but United lost 7-0 to Klopp’s men in a rather embarrassing defeat.

This season, when United took the trip to Anfield again, there were fears of another battering. However, Ten Hag’s side battled for a creditable 0-0 draw and will face the Merseyside club later this season in what promises to be a mouthwatering game.