Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp made his feelings clear on Thomas Tuchel's coaching credentials

Thomas Tuchel's ascent to has been met with nods of approval from within football circles along the way, not least from Jurgen Klopp.

The mastermind spurned the opportunity to succeed Gareth Southgate himself, but his respect for Tuchel has been well-documented, dating back to their overlapping tenures at Mainz and Dortmund.

A torch-bearer for German managerial excellence in England, Tuchel has taken up the mantle left by and now finds himself steering the national team towards potential glory at the 2026 World Cup. Both are famed for their successes in Germany; Tuchel scooped silverware with Dortmund and has gone toe-to-toe with Klopp's Liverpool on several high-stress occasions, exemplifying their well-matched tactical prowess.

Speaking in 2022 amid challenging circumstances off-pitch for Tuchel at Chelsea, Klopp praised Tuchel's handling of the Roman Abramovich sanctions situation.

"It will be great to see Thomas Tuchel again, having met three times already during this campaign," Klopp commented on the . "All these matches finished in draws by the way, which shows you how competitive it is between our clubs.

"My respect for Thomas was already as high as you could imagine. Then add in what he has had to contend with off the pitch in recent weeks and months and this respect makes even more sense.

"What a magnificent leader he is for his club. No surprise for those of us who competed against him in Germany. But I think his status as one of the very best coaches and managers in the world is rightly recognized throughout the game."

Harry Kane, who worked under Tuchel at Bayern, also shared his thoughts with Sky Germany: "To be honest, I haven't heard anything specific about it yet. That's why I can't really comment on it until it's officially announced.

"We'll have to wait and see what happens. I obviously know Thomas very well from the last year. He's a fantastic coach and a fantastic person. I'm sure the FA will contact me when they know more about this issue."