BERLIN, June 4-- Two-time UEFA Champions League-winning coach Ottmar Hitzfeld doesn't expect Jurgen Klopp to leave Liverpool FC in the near future. "I think he is not yet done with the Reds," the 70-year-old told Xinhua in a recent interview. While German media have touted 2019 Champions League winner Klopp as a successor for German national coach and 2017 World Cup winner Joachim Loew, multiple Bundesliga winner Hitzfeld is convinced that Klopp is set to extend his contract with Liverpool. Klopp joined the Reds in 2017, and any extension of his current contract, which still has three years to run, is likely to be accompanied by a significant pay rise. "He deserves to be praised for his achievements," the former Swiss national coach commented, adding that Klopp is "the right man in the right place at present." In Germany, all doors seem open for the Liverpool manager, as Bayern legend Franz Beckenbauer said he would love to see him as Bayern coach soon. Why should the Stuttgart-born coach leave after his first significant continental success? "He has a rather young team with great potential, as their average age is around 26.5 years. There is more to come, I guess," Hitzfeld emphasized. The former striker wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool can create a similar success to Real Madrid, when the Spaniards won the Champions League three times in a row between 2016 and 2018. "Liverpool can do something similar to Real. Winning the 2019 final is confirmation of the side's brilliant season," Hitzfeld said, adding "it was important for Jurgen to win this time," after the coach had lost his six previous cup finals. |