LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Jurgen Klopp shocked the soccer world by announcing he will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of this season.
Klopp has led Liverpool to a Champions League title and Premier League championship in his tenure after being hired in October 2015.
He made the announcement Friday, saying he is “running out of energy.”
“I will leave the club at the end of the season. I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it or at least try to explain it,” Klopp said.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team. I love the staff. I love everything. That I still take this decision probably shows you that I’m convinced it’s the one I have to take. It is that I’m — how can I say this? — that I’m running out of energy.”
Klopp’s status as a Liverpool icon is secure after returning the club to the summit of European soccer and ending its 30-year wait for an English league title in 2020.
His decision comes as a surprise considering he has recently rebuilt his team and Liverpool currently leads the league.
Liverpool advanced to the English League Cup final on Wednesday and is in contention for four trophies this season.
Klopp said he didn’t want his announcement to distract from his targets before he walks away.
“Let’s now really go for it,” he said. ‘The outside world want to use that – this decision – to laugh about it, blah, blah, blah. Want to disturb us. We are Liverpool.
“Let’s make a strength of it. That would be cool. Let’s squeeze everything out of this season and have another thing to smile about when we look back in the future.”
Liverpool also confirmed assistant managers Pepijn Lijnders and Peter Krawietz, and elite development coach Vitor Matos, will leave at the end of the season.