Danish reporter Niels Christian Frederiksen has revealed that Jurgen Klopp’s “not in great shape” comment had nothing to do with his weight, after the Liverpool manger stormed out of an interview following the defeat to Manchester United.
Liverpool were seconds away from taking Manchester United to penalties, before Amad sparked wild scenes inside Old Trafford to make it 4-3 to the hosts in the 121st minute.
The 21-year-old was shown a red card for his celebration, but the spotlight quickly shifted to Klopp for his behavior during an interview with Viaplay.
Reporter clarifies Jurgen Klopp outburst during interview
Klopp took issue with a question about his team’s intensity during their last-minute defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
“Come on, you’re obviously not in a great shape and I have no nerves for you,” he said as he walked away from the Frederiksen.
klopp just walked out of his interview with scandinavian tv in a huff pic.twitter.com/4ZwmBfDQPb
— Richard Williams (@RichALWilliams) March 17, 2024
The Danish reporter has now clarified the meaning behind the comment, after some people on social media thought Klopp was referring to his weight.
“No, no, no, that’s not what he meant at all,” he told Danish sports magazine Tipsbladet. “First of all, I’m not overweight, and if I was, he would never, ever say that. Klopp is not like that.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“It wasn’t meant like that at all. He’s not at all mean. He meant that I was unable and unfit to ask questions. There was nothing else.”
Frederiksen was also asked for his thoughts on the abrupt end to the interview, something that he attributes to Klopp’s emotions running high after losing the game in the final seconds.
“I interpret it mostly as an expression of his terrible frustration that they lost to Manchester United in the manner it happened, where they were ahead twice and should have sealed the deal,” he added.
Has a player ever been shown a red card and won the Player of the Match award in the same game before? 😅#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/bVBTu2iLau
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 17, 2024
“Then he got a question about why they didn’t have intensity in the game, and then he snapped.
“That’s fair enough. I have absolutely no problem with that. There will be absolutely no problems in the future. I can’t imagine that at all.
“When I interview him again, we’ll still be good friends – professionally speaking. I don’t think he holds a grudge, and I certainly don’t.”