Former Premier League manager Gerard Houllier has claimed that Jurgen Klopp was a Liverpool fan long before he took charge of the club in October.

The German coach replaced Brendan Rodgers five months after he ended a seven-year spell as Borussia Dortmund manager.

Houllier, who coached the Merseyside team for six years, has revealed that the pair would chat about the Premier League club whenever they saw each other at UEFA meetings.

"Jurgen has personality," Houllier told The Express. "I know Jurgen from UEFA meetings and he has always liked Liverpool. He had a passion for the club.

"He was always talking about Liverpool - what we did, how we lived. I can tell you he was a true fan of Liverpool and he was following the results before going there."

Klopp has overseen 14 Liverpool games, losing two of them.