'I didn't want to step on anyone's toes' - Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp responds to backlash after accepting 'outstanding' new job at Red Bull Group

The backlash came from all corners, with Borussia Dortmund fans voicing their disgust and Mainz supporters questioning whether Klopp was "crazy" at a recent match. While some did defend the former Liverpool boss, the matter of the 57-year-old selling his soul was raised as he joined a group that has circumvented German football laws since turning fifth-division club SSV Markranstadt into RB Leipzig in 2009.

Klopp will be responsible for the strategic development of Red Bull's international network of clubs, which include RB Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls, among others. The move comes after his decision to step down as Liverpool boss at the end of last season, citing a lack of energy, although few expected him to return to football in this capacity.

“I certainly didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes," Klopp said on Toni Kroos' podcast as he defended the move. "And I personally love all my former clubs. I don’t know exactly what I could have done so that everyone would have been happy.

“It was always clear, well, it was clear to me, that I wasn’t going to do nothing at all. And that’s when the Red Bull story came up. So for me it’s outstanding, I have to be honest.”

Klopp is currently preparing for what he considers to be the "perfect platform" to enjoy working in football again. He will take up his new role in January.