'It's rubbish' - Jamie Carragher speaks out on Jurgen Klopp's move to Red Bull as former Liverpool boss prepares to take up new role

Klopp has controversially decided to join the Red Bull group as their global head of soccer, leading to an outcry from fans of his former club, Borussia Dortmund. Mainz fans, who also formed a bond with Klopp, have been left equally shocked. Now, though, Carragher has come out to bat for the former Liverpool boss.

Klopp will be earning up to €12m (£10m/$13m) per year at the Red Bull group, which has a worldwide stable of clubs including RB Leipzig and RB Salzburg, as well as the New York Red Bulls, and Carragher believes that the promise of such riches would sway anybody, regardless of their previous affiliations. As a result, he believes criticism of Klopp is essentially hypocrisy.

Carragher said on Paramount while working as a pundit: "I think it is rubbish, he’s a certain type of manager, a man of the people. There’s a feeling in Germany, I understand the model, this is completely different. But Klopp has to stick to the ideals of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund for the rest of his life? We’re all hypocrites, if somebody offers us enough money, we’ll probably still do it. He’s not the manager, he’s overseeing something, speaking to people, going to a few meetings, going to a few games and he’s probably getting paid an awful lot of money.

"If they’re that against the Red Bull model, then why did Dortmund buy Haaland? If you’re so against their model, don’t buy and sell players with them then. They end up getting the best striker in the world and sold him to City for a right few quid by the way.

"Teams and people in Germany don’t like the way Red Bull do things, I actually do, they give young players a chance, they get unpolished gems, polish them up and sell them off as diamonds. I think it’s a great model that a lot of clubs are trying to copy."

Klopp will not start his role with Red Bull until January but conversations around his choice will likely continue. It remains to be seen how impactful he will be in the position, or if he will eventually seek to return to management.