'I will work...' - Jurgen Klopp rules out England job but teases return to football in the future

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant England job, months after leaving club football.

The German said farewell to Anfield after nearly nine years following the end of the 2023/24 season. His announcement in the early part of 2024 shocked the football world but he managed to give the fans one more success as they triumphed in the EFL Cup in February at Wembley.

Since leaving, he has been linked with all manner of managerial jobs but he has rejected any approaches thus far. One of those came from the United States of America national team and speculation had tied him to the England job following Gareth Southgate’s resignation. And while having attended the International Coaches' Congress in Wurzburg, he confirmed he wouldn’t be managing England. "That would be the biggest loss of face in the history of football if I said, 'I'll make an exception for you.'"

Klopp has admitted he is still unsure whether he wants to return to coaching at all - but will remain in football in some capacity. "I will work at something," he added. "I'm too young to just play padel and only spend time with my grandchildren. Will it be coaching again? I would actually rule that out at the moment. We'll see how things look in a few months. Right now, nothing is coming through."

Liverpool have started the Arne Slot era as their pre-season tour continues in America ahead of the new season that begins on August 18. Klopp gave the Dutchman a glowing recommendation when he sang his name to the Anfield crowd as part of his farewell following his final game. “You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me. You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team. Change is good,” said Klopp, who sang the name of Slot to the tune of one of the songs the crowd sing about him. In terms of Klopp’s future, a return to football in the coming years is possible but there will certainly be a hiatus before then.