The “crazy moment” Alexis Mac Allister found out Jurgen Klopp was leaving – Liverpool FC

It came as a shock to us all when Jurgen Klopp announced he was leaving, and Alexis Mac Allister was no different.

The Argentine has now revealed how he found out, saying it was Mo Salah who actually told him first, about five minutes before the news became public.

Speaking to TyC Sports, Mac Allister recalled: “It was a crazy moment. In an unexpected meeting, we found out five minutes before it was known publicly.

“I was sitting next to Mo Salah. I asked him and he told me ‘the manager is going’.

“I thought that he was going straight away, but after he told us, I understood that it was when the season was ending. It’s a personal decision.

“He has been here for many years and we want the best for him. This motivated us much more because we have to make it very special. His departure has to be really beautiful.”

The story Mac Allister tells is a similar one to what was reported soon after the events, with a select few senior players being told shortly before the rest of the players.

Later that day, in his press conference, Klopp explained: “The two important things I had to do was tell our supporters and to tell the players, and I don’t know 100 percent about the reaction of the supporters but the reaction of the players was top.

“It was really good, we’ve known each other so long, they know I don’t say things like that walk away or stuff like this.

“We have so many other things to do and I’m fully in that. So there’s not a lot of emotion yet, I’ve had a lot of talks in the last days when I had to tell people slightly earlier than I had to tell the public.

“There were some tears but that’s normal after such a long time together, but besides that, it’s just the right thing to do.

“The club needs time to plan the future while we are sorting the present, and that’s exactly what will happen now. The players, we have a really strong bond, so they didn’t ask questions yet because we are professionals.

“The boys are in a really good mood, it was not that they were getting up and having a party when I told them but it was just an announcement.”

I’m not sure we all held it together as well as the players did but, like Mac Allister wants, at least the Reds are well on their way to giving him a fitting send-off.