Cape Town - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had kind words for Hoffenheim counterpart Julian Nagelsmann, the man standing between him and the Champions League.
The Reds are set to face the Bundesliga side in Tuesday’s play-off first leg at the WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena, when Klopp will come up against the next generation of German tactician, who shares the same manager as him.
"I'm really happy for my friend and agent Marc Kosicke because I'm getting older and older - I'm the old horse in the stable and there's a young horse already for the long term," Klopp said.
"(Nagelsmann is a) big, big, big coaching talent. We don't know each other very well because we didn't really have time - when I left Germany I think he was an U19 coach or something like this.
"But since, we have written messages and things like this. I've really followed his way since then because I like good football and obviously his team is playing interesting and good football.
"He's not the only one but he's a good example for a lot of really good young managers in Germany. It's an interesting time on the manager market in Germany at this moment."