Eagle-eyed Liverpool fans spot ‘incredible talent’ joining Jurgen Klopp as he takes charge of first game since leaving the club

Jurgen Klopp was joined by an old friend and colleague as he took charge of his first game since leaving Liverpool in the summer.

The 57-year-old German coach made a welcome return to the Signal Iduna Park touchline on Saturday for the farewell match of Borussia Dortmund legends Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Speaking about his long-awaited return, an emotional Klopp said: “It’s a lifelong dream come true. I wanted to have it again. Just a few months ago, I was given an emotional farewell at Liverpool. Today was very emotional again.”

He added: “Some people might say that today he is like this and tomorrow he will be like that. I explain it like this: when you have three children, you love them all. And that’s the same with my three clubs. I love them all.”

Klopp has taken a fairly relaxed approach to training ahead of Saturday’s game in Germany and, after Dortmund posted footage from the session, some Liverpool fans spotted a very familiar face.

Peter Krawietz, who was Klopp’s trusted assistant at the Reds, was present at the training ground.

No one has worked with Klopp for longer. In fact, when Klopp was playing for German club FSV Mainz 05 in the late 1990s, Krawietz helped him improve in his role as a video analyst.

Klopp then appointed Krawietz as his chief scout when he became Mainz manager in 2001.

Seven years later, after taking over at Borussia Dortmund, no one was surprised when the German appointed one of his most trusted colleagues to his coaching staff.

And then, in 2015, the pair teamed up to create something special at Liverpool, with Krawietz tasked with using video analysis to improve their lacklustre performances in the early weeks and months.

Speaking about Krawietz’s importance in December, Klopp said: “Even now, I’m still impressed by the things he sees during a game. He has an incredible talent and one that is priceless for us.

“It was one of the best professional experiences for me to see him grow and become the coach he is today.

“He has always been essential to me, but his own personal development since coming to Liverpool has been extraordinary. He is so intelligent, so insightful and so important to us.”