Former Liverpool star reignites feud with Klopp by questioning the German's "hunger" and "desire"

Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has criticised Jurgen Klopp on a number of occasions, and the German is back at it following Liverpool's disastrous defeat to Brentford on Monday night.

The Reds have endured a turbulent season under their manager, with Champions League qualification looking increasingly out of reach.

What did Dietmar Hamann say?

Hamann, who spent seven years at Anfield between 1999 and 2006, slammed the Liverpool boss, questioning his "hunger" and "desire".

He stated: "He needs to build a new team. The question will be has he got the desire, the hunger and the energy to do that because they haven’t got the financial power the other teams have got.

"Players who cost £35m a few years ago, they cost £70-80m these days and Liverpool are not prepared to do that", Hamann added.

The criticism comes days after Liverpool have signed Cody Gakpo from PSV for a fee in the region of £37million.

The talkSPORT pundit continued to berate the 55-year-old, saying: "The question is has he got the desire, the hunger and the energy to deal with the financial differences between the top teams to compete over the next few years?

"They might get in the top four but then again, moving forward, where they are is probably how good they are. At the moment they are probably not a top four team", Hamann conceded.

He went on: "At the moment they’re a top six or top seven team and I don’t think that’s his ambition over the next few years if he stays at Liverpool."

How did Jurgen Klopp and Dietmar Hamann's feud start?

Hamann was openly critical of Klopp earlier in the campaign, stating that Liverpool had 'lost their spark'. Klopp then hit back at his fellow countryman, rubbishing the claims in a press conference.

When asked about Hamann's criticism, Klopp sarcastically responded: "Oh great, he's a fantastic source, well respected everywhere," suggesting the little admiration he had for Hamann.

The Liverpool boss continued to ridicule his compatriot: "That [being a former Liverpool player] doesn’t give you the right to say what you want especially when you have no idea. I actually think Didi Hamann doesn’t deserve that you use his phrase to ask me a question."

Speaking to the reporter, he asked: "Do me a favour and ask your own question. Try to ask a question without the word spark, that’s the challenge now."

Only time will tell whether Klopp can turn the tide at Anfield.

Topics: Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool, Premier League, Football

Joe Adams

Joe is a Journalist for SPORTbible with a primary focus on football. He has previously covered a number of other sports including boxing, rugby and F1. Wishes he was born left-footed.

@joeadamsjourno