It was a nightmare afternoon for at Old Trafford for Jurgen Klopp as his Liverpool side let two leads slip to lose to Manchester United in the FA Cup.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shared a warm exchange with Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
Klopp, 56, endured a nightmare afternoon at Old Trafford, watching his side let two leads slip through their hands before losing 4-3 to the Red Devils after extra-time. The German had a face like thunder when Amad Diallo squeezed a 121st minute winner into the bottom corner.
Despite the rivalry, Klopp found time to praise Mainoo’s performance against his Premier League chasing Reds. In the heat of battle, the former Borussia Dortmund manager proved he can appreciate the performance of a young prodigy, even if they are playing for their rivals.
Klopp could be seen applauding Mainoo as he walked off the pitch in the 80th minute in place of Christian Eriksen. After catching this brief exchange at the end of the match, United fans praised the Liverpool boss for his respect.
“Klopp acknowledging and applauding Mainoo. Means so much to come from the opposition manager. Some player,” one fan wrote on social media.
A second added: “Klopp giving Mainoo respect that’s how you know he is good”. The 18-year-old has been a revelation since he made his debut against Everton in November.
Not only has he forced his way into United’s first team, many believed he deserved to be called up by Gareth Southgate for England’s friendly matches against Brazil and Belgium. When asked about Mainoo’s absence from the squad, the Three Lions boss said:
“I think that he’s doing brilliantly for a young player and we’re never slow to put a young player into seniors, but he’s only had a handful of games and you have to be very careful development-wise in making those decisions at the right time.
“So we think ideally, we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed. He’s not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude [Bellingham] and Bukayo [Saka] were when they came in for the first time.
“But I repeat: he’s doing really well for a young player. He’s a good footballer — you can see that. And he’s getting some fabulous experience with Manchester United at the moment. And he looks a really good character.”
