Michael Owen controversy sums up why Jurgen Klopp would never take Man Utd job

Despite initial reports, the possibility of Jurgen Klopp replacing Ruben Amorim was never taken seriously for several reasons, and the German knows what that decision would do to Liverpool legacy

Jurgen Klopp was never going to consider the vacant Manchester United head coach role(Image: Getty Images)

Ruben Amorim’s departure from Manchester United was always going to throw up some weird and wacky rumors, none more so than those linking Jurgen Klopp with the vacancy.

There was an initial buzz on social media when the German’s name was mentioned within the first hour of Amorim’s sacking, even if most laughed off that suggestion.

The absurdity of those suggestions are already shown in the latest bookies' odds, which have Klopp ranked as a long outsider, some even placing him at a price of 66/1, behind Frank Lampard and Ange Postecoglou, and just ahead of Lee Carsley and Ralf Rangnick.

Few have dared to head down the M62 and cross the divide from red to red; it’s just not the done thing.

Michael Owen was one of the few who made that decision when he departed Liverpool in 2004 and ended up at Old Trafford five years later via Madrid and Newcastle.

The ex-striker has subsequently claimed he had little option regarding both his Anfield exit and the decision to join United, but those on Merseyside have never forgiven that decision.

An iconic Liverpool goalscorer and a graduate of the club’s fabled academy system, Owen should be revered by Reds. Instead, there’s a sense of indifference to his achievements, at best.

Amorim was dismissed as United head coach on Monday(Image: Getty Images)

Since the 1960s, Owen is one of three players to have represented both United and Liverpool, along with Paul Ince and Peter Beardsley. The latter is often overlooked as he made just one appearance for United, but Ince’s discretion has not been forgotten at United.

As rare as it is for players to represent both Liverpool and United, it’s even more so for managers. In fact, it’s never happened before.

Klopp, a man so revered by the Kop, knows better than to become the first.

However, the future of both clubs could have gone differently had Klopp’s negotiations with the club gone differently when he discussed the possibility of taking over in 2014.

Raphael Honigstein’s biography of the legendary ex-Liverpool boss claimed he felt the pitch delivered by CEO Ed Woodward presented United as an “adult Disneyland”. Klopp opted to remain at Borussia Dortmund.

Klopp has said on several occasions that he is enjoying his time away from coaching(Image: Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)

That’s before considering Klopp has stepped away from management altogether to take up a role as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer, and explained he may never return to the dugout.

Speaking in October, the 58-year-old was asked if he believes his coaching career is over and replied: “That’s what I think. But you don’t know.

“I’m 58. If I started again at 65, everybody will say, ‘You said you’ll never do it again.’ Er, sorry, I thought 100 percent [when I said it]. That is what I think now. I don’t miss anything [about being a manager].”

Klopp is employed in at an executive level by Red Bull, and is the company’s CEO of Soccer.