Jurgen Klopp has announced he will step down as Liverpool manager.
Klopp will bow out after eight-and-a-half years in the Anfield hot seat this summer, having presided over a success-laden dynasty during that time.
The German famously ended a lengthy Premier League title wait in 2020 and guided the club to three Champions League finals, winning one in 2019.
But Klopp explained his reason for Friday’s bombshell announcement, which will see his assistants Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz and Vitor Matos also leave this summer.
He said: “I can understand that it’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time.
“But obviously I can explain it – or at least try to explain it,” he said.
“I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything.
“But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take. “It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy.
“I have no problem now, obviously, I knew it already for longer that I will have to announce it at one point, but I am absolutely fine now. I know that I cannot do the job again and again and again and again.
“After the years we had together and after all the time we spent together and after all the things we went through together, the respect grew for you, the love grew for you and the least I owe you is the truth – and that is the truth.”
Klopp also dismissed any suggestions that underlying health issues played a part in his decision to call time on a whirlwind period in charge of the Anfield outfit.
“I am OK. I am healthy, as much as you can be at my age,” confirmed Klopp.
“I told the club already in November. I have to explain a little bit that maybe the job I do people see from the outside, I’m on the touchline and in training sessions and stuff like this, but the majority of all the things happen around these kind of things.
“That means a season starts and you plan pretty much the next season already.
“When we sat there together talking about potential signings, the next summer camp and can we go wherever, the thought came up: ‘I am not sure I am here then any more,’ and I was surprised myself by that. I obviously start thinking about it.
“It didn’t start [then], but of course last season was kind of a super-difficult season and there were moments when at other clubs probably the decision would have been: ‘Come on, thank you very much for everything but probably we should split here, or end it here.’ That didn’t happen here, obviously.
“For me it was super-, super-, super-important that I can help to bring this team back on to the rails. It was all I was thinking about.
“When I realised pretty early that happened, it’s a really good team with massive potential and a super age group, super characters and all that, then I could start thinking about myself again and that was the outcome.
“It is not what I want to do, it is just what I think is 100% right. That’s it.”