Jurgen Klopp always knew how good Erik ten Hag would be at Manchester United

It would have needed the most optimistic of Manchester United fans to have predicted such a transformation under Erik ten Hag, but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has always been of the Dutchman's quality from his time at Ajax.

Far from just improving results and performances on the pitch, the Reds boss has overseen a seismic change in culture and mentality, ridding United of the bad apples who bred ill-discipline around Carrington. A focus on adding experience to the squad via Casemiro has worked wonders, while Lisandro Martinez complements Raphael Varane perfectly.

A false start last August, with consecutive defeats against Brighton and Brentford, was quickly corrected with a shrewd 2-1 win at home to Liverpool, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford finding the net. But as United prepare for the reverse at Anfield on Sunday, they do so as Carabao Cup champions and Premier League title challengers - not to mention their place in the latter stages of both the FA Cup and Europa League.

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Jurgen Klopp has seen his fair share of United managers in the away dugout at Anfield, and few have brought success. Louis van Gaal was the last manager to leave the red half of Merseyside with three points back in 2016, a game so far back that Wayne Rooney got the winner.

In Ten Hag, Klopp knows he faces his greatest test since then and the German made clear his admiration ahead of his Liverpool side facing Ajax in the Champions League just over two years ago.

“Erik [ten Hag] is rightly regarded as one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football at the moment because of the work he does with Ajax,” Klopp said ahead of what would be a 1-0 win for