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LIVERPOOL. —  Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits that despite the technology advancements in the world today, he does miss being on the training ground with his players.

The coronavirus has brought a stop to world sport with no actual date for when the English Premier League would return despite the Reds being six points away from winning their first league crown in 30 years.

Klopp told Liverpool’s club website: “When we have these training sessions, I could have never imagined I would enjoy it that much but it’s just the moment when I see the boys again and that changes everything.

“For a minute, for an hour, for two hours, however long the sessions are — the boys are all in good spirits; you feel immediately why you miss them so much because it’s just an exceptional group.  You want to be together with them, you want to be closer to them than you can be. These are the closest moments, so I enjoy these sessions a lot.

“It’s getting worse, the longer it takes. I accept the situation 100 per cent like it is but the longer you don’t see somebody you like, the more it hurts. That’s the situation we are in at the moment.”

Klopp added: “Some people may say it’s like a normal meeting or normal session we have  but it’s not like this. I like that as well.

“That’s the best thing of having this situation in 2020 — we have this technical opportunity. Imagine if we would have had that in the ‘80s – not because of football, because of all the social contact and interaction we can have and use now. That makes a big difference.”

Meanwhile, former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson believes Jurgen Klopp would do well to bring Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho back to Anfield.

The Brazil international has struggled to make any kind of an impact since making his £142 million move to the Nou Camp and is currently on loan at German giants Bayer Munich.

Coutinho’s form in the Bundesliga has sent a reminder of his undoubted talents but Barca’s asking price to complete a permanent move to Bavaria means that Bayern are out of the running for his signature — leaving a return to England the most likely destination.

At this stage it would appear that Chelsea are the frontrunners to land the 27-year-old, although there has also been significant interest from Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and even Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton. — AFP.