Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp is one of football’s all-time great bosses - but he shouldn’t get Manager of the Year.
That’s the verdict of former Reds captain Jamie Redknapp who believes that even ended the club’s longest-ever title drought and bringing the League Championship back to Anfield following a 30-year wait, is not enough to land the prize for the German.
Redknapp, who was signed as a 17-year-old by Liverpool’s previous title-winning manager Kenny Dalglish just a month before his shock resignation in February 1991, made 308 appearances for the club and scored 41 goals.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said: “ Jurgen Klopp will go down in history as one of the greatest managers ever. Deservedly so, too.
"The man's a genius, from his tactics to the way he conducts himself. Kudos to the German's English teacher because he is such an eloquent speaker.
“He always knows exactly what to say and his enthusiasm is infectious. The players adore him and so do the supporters.
“But there is only one Manager of the Year for me, and that is Chris Wilder of Sheffield United.
“At the start of this season, me and 11 of my Sportsmail colleagues — including Peter Crouch, Martin Keown and Chris Sutton — were asked for our predictions.
“Those forecasts were published on August 9, and every single one of us had the Blades finishing in the bottom three.
“A few also tipped Liverpool to win the Premier League, myself included, because we knew Klopp's men would be contenders. They picked up 97 points last year. They won the Champions League.
“They've been building towards this since Klopp arrived in 2015, so we can't say the 53-year-old performed a miracle in leading Liverpool to the title.
“But I count what Wilder has achieved in his first season as a Premier League manager as miraculous.
“Not only have his side survived, they have survived with style.”
Redknapp added: “I have nothing but good things to say about Klopp. Liverpool have evolved into a successful side on his watch. But Wilder's achievements deserve recognition.
“If it was up to me, I'd give him the Manager of the Year gong.”
