During his managerial career so far, Jurgen Klopp has had the privilege of working with some of the most talented players of this generation.
He won two Bundesliga titles at Borussia Dortmund with an outstanding squad of players, and has since formed one of the best sides in Premier League history at Liverpool.
With all of Klopp’s success in mind, it’s easy to forget that he hasn’t had it all his own way in the past, and has had to wave goodbye to some top talent during his career.
Planet Football have dug through the archives and managed to form a talented XI of players that Klopp has sold in the past, and all in all, it’s pretty impressive.
To compensate for the fact that Klopp appears to have never sold a top-quality left-back in his life, we’ve tweaked the original line-up and re-shifted them into a 3-5-2 formation.
GK – Simon Mignolet
Say what you want about Mignolet, but since leaving Liverpool for Club Brugge in 2019, he’s kept 16 clean sheets in 27 games and reminded everyone why he was once so highly rated.
CB – Robert Kovac
Kovac was an absolute rock at the back for a number of German clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Klopp’s Dortmund. He left the latter in 2009 to finish his career with Zagreb.
CB – Martin Skrtel
Although many fans were glad to see the back of him in 2016, the Slovak developed a reputation as a man not to be messed with during his 242 matches for Liverpool.
CB – Mamadou Sakho
The end of Sakho’s time at Liverpool marred the crucial role he played in Liverpool’s 2016 Europe League stint. A string of disciplinary issues culminated in his move to Crystal Palace in 2017.
DM – Lucas Leiva
The Brazilian international almost cracked 250 appearances in 10 years for Liverpool before opting for a new challenge at Lazio. He won Player of the Year in his first two seasons there.
CM – Nuri Sahin
Sahin was a stalwart of Klopp’s Dortmund midfield before Real Madrid came calling in 2011 with an offer he couldn't refuse. After failing to re-capture his form, he returned to Dortmund in 2013.
CM – Mario Gotze
Gotze’s career really got going under Klopp at Dortmund, which tempted Bayern to trigger his release clause in 2013. Like Sahin, he ended up returning a few years down the line.
RW – Ivan Perisic
England fans will remember Perisic from the 2018 World Cup defeat, and Klopp won’t remember him fondly either. A falling out over playing-time led to the Wolfsburg move which kicked-started his career.
LW – Philippe Coutinho
As you’ll remember, Liverpool pocketed a cool £142 million from Coutinho’s move to Barca, where he hasn't quite managed to recapture the same form that used to set Anfield alight.
ST – Danny Ings
Ings is undoubtedly Southampton’s best player and continues to receive plenty of praise from Klopp, despite the fact that he barely played him during his four years at Anfield.
ST – Lucas Barrios
Barrios scored 49 goals in 101 appearances for Dortmund under Klopp – almost a goal every two games – before Guangzhou lured him to Chinese Super League in 2012.
Although some of these players wouldn’t necessarily break into the current Liverpool team, we’re sure you’ll agree that this side could give anyone a game and inflict some serious damage.