ARSENAL legend Thierry Henry claims Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp decided to leave because he “has to take care of himself”.
Klopp shocked the world last month when he suddenly announced he will step down as the Reds’ head coach in June after nine glittering years.
The German tactician made this difficult decision after running out of energy and understanding he can’t keep dealing with the immense pressure year after year.
And Henry believes the 56-year-old’s shock announcement just “tells a story” of how demanding elite football really is.
The legendary striker added that the kind of success Klopp had at Liverpool, which saw him winning every title available, takes a massive toll in the long run.
The France Under-21 manager likened his exit to that of Pep Guardiola, who took a year off after his stunning stint at Barcelona came to an end in 2012 before eventually joining Bayern Munich.
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Arsenal’s record goalscorer insists the ex-Borussia Dortmund boss made the right call as he needs some time to regain his “sanity” and catch up with his family.
Henry reached out to Klopp via CBS Sports: “Good for you.
“Pep was at Barcelona, took a sabbatical year. Klopp is at Liverpool, is stopping. Xavi is at Barcelona, he is also stopping. Three great clubs.
“That’s a dream job normally and they are stopping. That tells you a story. The pressure, everybody has a voice, social media and whatnot.
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“It is tough to be a manager and no one cares about you. You’re going to have to take care of yourself at one point.
“I understand that it’s very nice for fans and everybody involved, journalists, but do not think only about yourself and thinking that the Premier League will miss Klopp, that Liverpool will miss Klopp.
“We know that, we know that is true. But he was missing his family, he was missing his own time, he was missing his sanity. So good for him. When I got the news, I was like: ‘Good for you’.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk