Cape Town - Midfielder Philippe Coutinho has heaped praise on Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, hailing the German as "one of the best" in football.
Coutinho joined Liverpool in January 2013 but enjoyed his best period on Merseyside under the management of Klopp, who was appointed in October 2015.
The Brazilian's form was so impressive that Barcelona signed him for £105m in January 2018, but his spell in Spain did not go to plan.
Now on loan at Bayern Munich, Coutinho has confirmed Klopp sent him some words of encouragement.
"He sent me a message and wished me luck," Coutinho told SportBild. "He wrote that Bayern is a big club and the Bundesliga a great league. He is very happy to see me there.
"He's just a great coach, one of the best of the world. A real leader.
"I learned so much from him, especially on the mental level. He changed Liverpool. The club breathed new life, made them really strong again. It was an honour to work with him.
"His mentality is unique. He somehow always finds the right words, both before the game and during the game.
"He works very hard and is so extremely focused. The training is very intense. He always manages to adjust you for the next opponent, which is why he is so successful."