Neil Critchley wants Jurgen Klopp ethos at Hearts as he plans to rebuild Anfield bootroom in Gorgie

Neil Critchley lived and breathed the Jurgen Klopp revolution for four years at Liverpool.

His daily brief might have been to coach the next generation in the academy but Klopp’s all-inclusive culture meant Critchley was made to feel as important to the man who would lead the club to Champions League and Premier League glory as any other member of staff. The Anfield Boot Room - hailed for producing some of the greatest managers in their history including Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny Dalglish and Roy Evans - might have been demolished in the 1990s.

But Critchley reckons it was almost rekindled by Klopp. And it’s that ethos the man now entrusted with lifting Hearts off the deck reckons can breathe new life into the Tynecastle club. Honesty, being humble, and good old hard work are at the core of what Critchley - who acted as stand-in manager for Klopp on two occasions when fixture congestion led to problems at Anfield - will install in Gorgie.

When it was pointed out it sounded like the German had almost rebuilt the famous boot room mentality of the 70s, Critchley said: “He did. I wasn't there all the time, every day, but I lived it and I had enough experiences of being around it, speaking to him to know that it was something special. It sounds a bit cheesy or corny, but they're good people.

“The players were a good group of people, humble, hardworking, and you can't play for Jürgen Klopp in one of his teams if you don't have certain characteristics. That's what I want to try and bring and replicate here.

“His advice was to be yourself. I think one of his greatest strengths is his authenticity, what you see is what you get. He just had a way of speaking to people and dealing with people which I thought was fantastic.