Jurgen Klopp has spoken of his admiration for Sir Alex Ferguson after winning the League Managers Association's (LMA) Manager of the Year award.

The German in an interview after receiving the prestigious trophy voted for by professional managers and awarded to the manager who, in their opinion, has made the greatest use of the resources available to them in the current season revealed that meeting the former Manchester United manager was like having a time with the Pope.

“I am absolutely delighted to get this wonderful trophy. It’s really wonderful and I had already the opportunity to have a look who won it before and there are obviously a lot of big, big Liverpool names involved,” Klopp said.

“Not only Liverpool names but big, big Liverpool names as well. Bill Shankly, I think, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan, Kenny [Dalglish] - it looks like he’s all over the trophy everywhere! Brendan [Rodgers] won it, well deserved. 

“And Sir Alex Ferguson - and I know it’s not 100 percent appropriate as a Liverpool manager - but I admire him. He was the first British manager I met and we had breakfast together. It was long ago and I’m not sure if he remembers it still, but I remember it forever because it was for me in this moment like meeting the Pope if you want! 

Sir Alex Ferguson won the LMA Award on five occasions becoming the first manager to collect it for the first time in 1993. Jurgen is the second Liverpool manager to win the accolade after Brendan Rodgers in 2014. He dedicated the honor to his staff, Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, John Achterberg, Vitor Matos and Jack Robinson for the immense support towards helping Liverpool win the Premier League trophy for the first time.

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“It was absolutely great and from the first second we really clicked and I wouldn’t have thought in that moment that one day I would hold the trophy in my hands, which is named after him. But, I have to say ‘thank you’ to a lot of people. It’s easy to say and sometimes I think it sounds like we have to say it but it’s easy to say in my case: I am here on behalf of my coaches.

“I said it a lot of times, that I’m OK as a manager, but they make me, they make us, a really special bunch of football brains and I love to work with them together. To work together with Pep Lijnders, Peter Krawietz, John Achterberg, Vitor Matos and Jack Robinson - it’s a pleasure.

“I could carry on with the list forever because we have so many great people here who made it happen that this year we won the title, and I only got this trophy because of that, I know. My players, all the people that I work together with, I take this and I love it for all of us together and I’m happy to show you a few pictures and maybe we can make a few pictures together. Then we will all remember it forever.

“Thank you very much, a very special season with a very special award in the end. Thank you, I am really honored to get it.”