Jurgen Klopp's shock decision to quit Liverpool will have fans dancing on the streets of Manchester - both Man Utd and City will be licking their lips over Anfield bombshell

Klopp's unforgettable feuds with Pep Guardiola have turned Liverpool matches with City into a truly mouth-watering fixture that has become even more compelling than Real Madrid versus Barcelona, giving English football its own Clasico.

Guardiola has called Klopp "my greatest rival by far" and Liverpool are the only team with more victories over City during the Catalan coach's tenure than the other way round. If it weren't for Klopp, City would have surely swept their way to six consecutive Premier League titles, and it is tempting to conclude they would also have lifted the Champions League in 2018, when the electric Reds blitzed them in front of a scorching Anfield atmosphere.

City fans are undoubtedly be glad to see the back of Klopp, and Liam Gallagher seemed to speak for all supporters from Manchester when, upon hearing the news, he declared: "Good riddance. See you later!"

But United fans will be celebrating his departure with even more gusto. Klopp has been Liverpool's modern version of Sir Alex Ferguson and Red Devils fans will be hoping that when he calls time on his glittering era at Anfield at the end of the season, the Merseysiders will descend into chaos, just like United did when the legendary Scottish manager retired in 2013.

Many United fans see Liverpool as their arch enemy, comfortably trumping City, and they have watched on in horror as Klopp has led their true rivals' resurgence, taking the Reds dangerously close to equalling their 20 league titles. In fact, some United fans are so bitter about how good Liverpool have become under Klopp that they have taken to openly backing City on social media or in Whatsapp groups during the closely-fought title races of 2019 and 2022.

The German has also presided over some truly humiliating results for United. Although the Red Devils won their first match against Klopp's Liverpool in January 2016, they have not tasted victory at Anfield since and have not even scored there since 2018.

Last year's 7-0 hammering at Anfield was United's joint-worst result of all time, while they were thrashed 4-0 there the previous year. And no United fan will ever forget the 5-0 thrashing Klopp's side subjected them to at Old Trafford in October 2021, which spelled the beginning of the end for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Many United fans openly despise Klopp. And that is because they are jealous of everything he has achieved at Liverpool and the unbreakable bond he has forged with supporters. The sight of Klopp leading the players to salute the Kop or the away end after every momentous victory has made United fans sick in the stomach. Oh how they would love to have such a bond with their manager.

The truth is that of all the managers United have had since Ferguson, only Solskjaer has truly connected with supporters. But most of that mutual love was due to his spell as a player and scoring that goal at the Camp Nou in 1999 which sealed the treble.

Most fans knew at the bottom of their hearts that Solskjaer had limited abilities as a manager and that the miraculous escapes he presided over were not sustainable. Klopp, by contrast, is a truly elite operator, achieving astonishing success with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.

And what hurts most is that he was there for the taking. Klopp was gaining global attention for his twin title successes and Dortmund's charge to the 2013 Champions League final just as Ferguson's time with United was winding down. The Scot knew he would be retiring, as did United's then chief executive David Gill, but rather than court the most exciting manager in Europe at the time, they recruited the dour David Moyes.

And after sacking Moyes they again overlooked Klopp, instead turning to Louis van Gaal, who had last had real success with Bayern Munich four years previously. Van Gaal's brand of football ended up boring United fans stiff and he too was sacked after just two years. But by then Klopp was already installed at Anfield and United had missed their chance.

So they recruited another manager who was past his sell-by-date in Jose Mourinho. The fiery Portuguese certainly appealed to some sections of United's base but he was a hugely divisive figure and his pragmatic style of play did not fit with the club's attacking ethos. Indeed, City fans taunted their rivals by chanting: 'Park the bus, park the bus Man United, playing football the Mourinho way.'

Klopp's 'heavy metal' football is more exciting than any of the styles United have experimented with since Ferguson's departure and was universally loved by Reds' supporters, who are now mourning his departure.

The German has also been able to reinvent his side on multiple occasions, with Liverpool making a remarkable resurgence this season after finishing fifth last term and also bouncing back from a difficult 2020-21 campaign to push City all the way to the title the following year.

The Reds' many evolutions under Klopp contrast with how United have utterly capitulated this season, squandering all the progress they made the previous campaign after finishing third and lifting the Carabao Cup.

The only downside to Klopp leaving Liverpool from United's point of view is the fact that they could now be competing with their rivals for a new manager in the summer if Ten Hag cannot get the Red Devils back on track and the Dutchman falls victim to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford's higher standards.

For City fans, Klopp's exit is only positive. But they can also admit that the Liverpool boss has brought out the very best of their team. City were obliged to win their final 14 matches of the 2018-19 season to see off the threat from Merseyside and had to dig deep to pip the Reds to the title three years later, snatching the crown thanks to Ilkay Gundogan's late show against Aston Villa. It also wouldn't have been as fun, or as memorable, if City had strolled to the title every year as they did in 2017-18 and 2020-21.

"He made me better," Guardiola acknowledged in November of his old adversary, who he has mostly managed to stay on amicable terms with, quite unlike Mourinho. "Here and with Dortmund, we've always been big rivals, he had good games for both, a positive approach and always attractive. He made me a better manager through his teams, and of course the way they play. They are a fantastic team, a top side, no doubt."

From next season, Guardiola will have to find another opponent to push him all the way and take his City side to the next level. Ten Hag might be lucky if he even gets to face Klopp's successor. And whoever that may prove to be, they will be doing very well if they can provoke quite the same reactions of jealousy and rage in Manchester as Liverpool's scruffy but loveable leader of the last nine years.