Former Liverpool defender Neco Williams showed he remains on friendly terms with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp despite leaving Anfield over the summer.
Williams, part of Wales' World Cup squad, joined Nottingham Forest in a £17m move after Steve Cooper's side earned promotion to the Premier League. He scored his first Forest goal away at Anfield on Saturday, but it wasn't enough to prevent a 3-2 defeat.
In new footage shared on Liverpool's YouTube channel, Williams and Klopp can be seen embracing in the tunnel and exchanging a few words, with the Welshman all smiles upon reuniting with the former Borussia Dortmund manager. The defender had been waiting for his former boss for a hug and a catch-up as he continues to establish himself as a Premier League player away from Merseyside.
"Forest are a club with incredible history and the City Ground is a very special venue that I can't wait to experience in full voice," Williams said in July upon completing the switch. "I'm really excited to join Forest and to help this great club move forwards in the Premier League."
The 22-year-old was one of a parade of new signings brought in during a busy summer window, with further additions made in January. It hasn't been enough to stave off the threat of relegation, though, with Forest a point from safety with six games remaining.
While Williams was able to greet his former boss at Anfield, another of Forest's ex- Liverpool contingent wasn't involved. Jonjo Shelvey, who left Liverpool before Klopp's arrival, was axed from Cooper's squad over attitude concerns.
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Klopp admitted Liverpool struggled at times against Forest as they gained some revenge for their 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture. The visitors twice drew themselves level after Diogo Jota goals, only for Mohamed Salah to deliver Liverpool's winner 20 minutes from time.
They made us work hard for that, especially when the ball was out. That's when the game really started,” Klopp said. “The throw-ins created a proper mess for us. You can prepare a lot in football, but for this we weren't prepared well enough. We are prepared now!
“The second goal they scored, if the player isn't directly involved then players need to be aware of the situation to pick up other players. We were not aware enough.
“We had 86 per cent possession in the first half, which is a really strange thing. It made it difficult. We had to work hard, scoring the first is helpful but then the lesson in throw-ins came. We reacted twice, our goals were super smart. But we could have controlled the game better.”
