One Manchester City player who will know all about Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp when the two sides meet in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash on Thrusday is Ilkay Gundogan.
The midfielder of Turkish origin spent four-seasons playing under the stewardship of Klopp at Borussia Dortmund.
Gundogan revealed why Klopp was so important to him at the beginning of his career and why he feels indebted to the Reds current head coach.
“I had four fantastic years with Jurgen,” Gundogan is quoted as saying by City’s official website.
“We won a lot of things together, we lived through many different experiences together, we had our lows, too.
“I came to Dortmund from a relatively small team and I struggled during my first six months to find my place there. I was a bit shy and, to be honest, I wasn’t brave enough do certain things.
“But thanks to the help of my team-mates, and with the help of Jurgen and his staff, too, I managed to improve.”
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Under the stewardship of Klopp, Gundogan won the Bundesliga and reached the 2013 Champions League final.
The 27-year-old underlined the role Klopp has played in developing his career.
“I was finally able to find my way and my place. It was hard, but I learned a lot and I tried to assimilate everything at that point,” he added.
“Jurgen played a very important role in all that and I’m very grateful to have played in that team at such a high level for so many years. I learned a lot and I managed to improve my game a lot, too.
“Those days left a mark on my career. Those were my first steps in European football, too, because it was an opportunity that I hadn’t had before. So that’s another thing I have to thank him for.”
Gundogan won his first piece of silverware with City earlier this season lifting the League Cup.
The 27-year-old is likely to lift the Premier League trophy and could also win the Champions League.
Gundogan has the chance to progress to the semi-finals but it will come at the expense of his former manager.
The midfielder is match fit and up for selection on Wednesday when the two sides go head to head at Anfield.
City head into the clash as Premier League leaders but have not beat Liverpool away in their last 17 games.
