Player in awe of Liverpool’s Klopp and his ‘extreme aura’ – Felt ‘very small’ when he met him for first time

Toulouse striker Niklas Schmidt has admitted he was left in awe of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and his ‘extreme aura’ when they met recently in the Europa League.

The striker has been speaking to Kicker about life at the French club, where he is currently enjoying plenty of success, particularly in Europe.

They recently enjoyed one of their biggest nights ever as they secured a 3-2 win over Liverpool and in Group E of the Europa League.

Goals from Aron Donnum, Thijs Dallinga and Frank Magri secured the victory and put the French side on course for the knockout stages of the competition.

It was a big moment for the French side, who not only secured a win against much bigger and historical opponents in Liverpool but also over a squad full of world-class stars led by a manager who is also considered one of the best in the world as well.

That was something Schmidt was more than aware of given his own German heritage and he admits he was left in awe when standing next to the Liverpool manager.

“We didn’t say much to each other, other than a “hello,” but I felt very small being right next to him,” he said.

“You usually only see him on TV – but he seems much bigger. You can just feel his extreme aura.

“There are also a lot of players who say that he is an incredibly good coach, even though they haven’t played that much under him – if you can manage that, you really haven’t done much wrong.”