Liverpool assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders has hailed Jurgen Klopp as a "true leader".
Lijnders first moved to Anfield in 2014 when Brendan Rodgers was still at the helm, and remained at the club following Klopp's appointment the following year.
He then left Liverpool to take charge of Dutch side NEC in January 2018, but returned to Merseyside just a few months later.
And Lijnders has opened up on what it is like to work alongside Klopp, who looks set to end Liverpool's 30-year wait for a league title this season.
"Jurgen is a true leader. He’s inspirational and motivational. He still surprises me every day with something he says. His brain works differently to a lot of other brains!" he told The Athletic.
“He sees through situations and processes. There is a saying that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. And I think everyone who works with Jurgen has the feeling he really cares about you and your development. There is no ego, he purely searches for the right thing to do.
“When Jurgen speaks to the players, he speaks from the heart and it goes directly into the hearts of the players.
“He has this remarkable capacity to touch people with the words he selects. That’s not easy, especially with this level of players.
"I find that intriguing, how it’s possible, the convincing way he has and that ability to touch people. You are dealing with a lot of egos in football but in our club, it looks like there are no egos.
“Jurgen has created an environment where everyone has bought into it. He solves problems before they arise. He has this capacity of making sure that certain things won’t happen because he speaks about them. The level of respect the players have for him is huge.
“No written word, no spoken plea, can teach our team what they should be, nor all the books on the shelves, it’s what the coach is himself. Do you know what I mean? The character of the coach becomes the character of the team. You can see it throughout the club. That’s the power of Jurgen’s personality.”
Liverpool, who are 13 points clear of second-placed Leicester, travel to Tottenham on Saturday.
READ MORE
Why Hamza Choudhury is England’s Euro 2020 pick you hadn’t thought of
Why Mino Raiola might be right about Paul Pogba and Manchester United
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
‘England have the players to win the World Cup – it’ll be tough for Thomas Tuchel to do a bad job, with the squad he has at his disposal’ Former Three Lions winger backs new boss after gentle qualifying draw
