Jurgen Klopp distances himself from high-profile managerial vacancy

Jurgen Klopp has already been linked with a handful of international jobs in the two months since he last took charge of Liverpool, but his stance remains unwavering.

The 57-year-old ended his near decade-long stay at Anfield earlier this year as he cited a need to take a step back from football, and he’s in no mood to go back on that decision just yet.

As reported by Chris Bascombe for The Telegraph, the German isn’t putting himself in the frame for the England vacancy after Gareth Southgate’s resignation on Tuesday, and he doesn’t plan on returning to management until at least next July.

That hasn’t prevented a clamour for him to be among the leading candidates to get the Three Lions job, with Richard Keys one of those imploring the FA to hire the former Liverpool boss.

Having already rebuffed an approach to take charge of the USA, there was never any realistic chance of Klopp wanting to interrupt his pre-planned sabbatical by jumping at the England job.

The English men’s team have only played in three major finals in their history, and two of those were under Southgate, yet he was still widely pilloried over his tactical and personnel selections, with some of that criticism turning personal.

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That gives an indicator into the level of scrutiny with which every England boss must deal, and there’s simply no way that the German would want to bring that on himself so soon after leaving Liverpool, where he’ll be regarded as a true legend for generations to come.

There will be a time – possibly next year – that Klopp feels ready to get back into football, and when he does, whichever club or national team hires him will feel as if they’ve won the lottery.

Whenever it does happen, it’ll no doubt be on his terms, with the 57-year-old boasting such a formidable reputation that he’ll surely have his pick of suitors when he makes it known that he’s eyeing a return to the dugout.

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