Jurgen Klopp has expressed his pride after Liverpool players demonstrated their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
There have been protests around the globe calling for the end of institutional racism following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man, in the United States last week while in police custody.
On Monday, the Liverpool team took time out of a training session at Anfield to go down on one knee and pose for a picture on the halfway line, before relaying their message of support across social media.
The 29-man squad socially distanced around the centre circle and posed for the snap in all the club's 2019/20 kits, with the caption "Unity is strength #BlackLives Matter".
And Klopp, speaking to German broadcaster Sky Sport, has revealed the idea was that of his players.
"For us, dealing with each other and Black Lives Matter is very natural - especially if you look at our team: we have players from Africa, from England and so on with a corresponding background," he said.
"It is already so natural for us that at first we didn't even think about sending a message.
"But then the boys were struck. Then they spontaneously decided on this action. I've been very proud of the guys for a long time, but that was another extraordinary moment.
"When I saw them there and this picture was taken. Then I was really proud because it is also an important message."
Taking the knee has been a symbol of a protest against racial inequality in the United States, brought to the attention of the wider public by American footballer Colin Kaepernick during his NFL career.
