Eagle-eyed Liverpool fans spot 'incredible talent' that joined Jurgen Klopp as he managed first game since leaving club

Jurgen Klopp was joined by an old friend and colleague as he took charge of his first game since leaving Liverpool in the summer.

The German manager, 57, made a welcome return to the Signal Iduna Park touchline on Saturday for the farewell match of Borussia Dortmund legends Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Speaking about his much-anticipated return, an emotional Klopp said: “It's a lifelong dream come true. I wanted to have that again. Just a few months ago, I was given an emotional farewell in Liverpool. Today it was very emotional again."

He added: “Some people might say that today he's like this and tomorrow he'll be like that. I explain it like this: when you have three children, you love them all. And that's the same with my three clubs. I love them all.”

Klopp took a fairly relaxed approach to training ahead of Saturday's game in Germany and after Dortmund posted footage from the session, a handful of Liverpool fans spotted a very familiar face.

Peter Krawietz, who was Klopp's trusty assistant at the Reds, was present at the training base.

Nobody has worked with Klopp for longer. In fact, when Klopp was playing for German club FSV Mainz 05 in the late '90s, Krawietz helped him improve in his role as a video analyst.

Klopp then appointed Krawietz as his chief scout when he became Mainz manager in 2001.

Seven years later, after taking over at Borussia Dortmund, nobody was surprised when the German made one of his most trusted colleagues part of his backroom staff.

And then in 2015, the pair came together to create something special at Liverpool, with Krawietz being tasked to use video analysis to improve their lacklustre performances in the opening weeks and months.

Klopp back in training with Dortmund ❤️ 🟡 ⚫️

pic.twitter.com/6g95F3JIs2

— Anfield Edition (@AnfieldEdition) September 7, 2024

Speaking about the importance of Krawietz in December, Klopp said: "Even now I am still amazed at the things he spots during a game. He has an incredible talent and one that is priceless for us.

“It has been one of the best professional experiences for me to see him grow and become the coach he now is.

"He’s always been essential to me, but his own personal development since arriving at Liverpool has been outstanding. He is so smart, so insightful and so important to us.”