May 20 (UPI) -- Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would resign at the end of the Premier League soccer season, hinted that he may never work again as a manager.
Klopp made the comments at a news conference Sunday at Anfield in Liverpool, England. The Reds beat Wolves 2-0 Sunday in their season finale. They finished third in the Premier League standings, behind champion Manchester City and second-place Arsenal.
"I don't know exactly why nobody believes I probably will not be a manager again," Klopp told reporters. "But I understand because obviously it seems to be a drug. It looks like that because everybody comes back and everyone works until they are 70-something.
"I always had the idea that I will not do that that long. Look, other people are smarter. Other people can do it in different ways. I have to be all-in. I have to be the spark. I have to be the energy. I have to be all these kind of things and I'm empty. That's it."
Klopp, 56, said in January that he was "running out of energy."
The Reds, who won the Premier League in 2019-20, finished third in 2020-21 and second in 2021-22. They placed fifth last year, their worst finish during a full season under Klopp. The veteran manager led the Reds to Champions League, Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup and EFL Cup titles, in addition to their Premier League crown.
Klopp said earlier this year that he planned to return to the soccer sidelines again at some point, but wouldn't manage another club in England.
"You only have to look outside which clubs are obviously available and stuff like this," Klopp said in regards to his next move. "There will be opportunities, but I don't sit here and think, 'Maybe in a year's time I take that.' In this moment, it's see you later.
"I love all and everything about the club, but it's time for me to go. But look, it's not burning behind me and that gives me a good feeling."
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot told reporters last week that he will replace Klopp next season as Reds manager. Slot led Feyenoord to a second-place finish in the Eredivisie, the top soccer league in the Netherlands.
Feyenoord won the Eredivisie in 2022-23. Slot, 45, previously coached Eredivisie club AZ Alkmaar and second-tier SC Cambuur.
