Jürgen Klopp has welcomed Steven Gerrard's return to Liverpool as an Academy coach, describing the appointment as 'wonderful news for football'.

The Reds confirmed on Friday the revered former midfielder would begin a wide-ranging full-time role within the club’s youth set-up in February, working in the professional development phase of young players at the Kirkby site.

Klopp believes Gerrard’s position will prove mutually beneficial for both the club and the 36-year-old as he begins his journey into coaching.

The manager said: “We had a very, very good, very long talk together. Probably everybody in this room knows better than I do that he’s a wonderful guy.

“For me, it was only important to know what Steven wants, actually, and he said he wants to be a manager in the future. So, that’s cool. I said from my side, everything I can do to help him on this way, to make him the best manager he can be, I’m ready for this and I would like to do it.

“We spoke about different things, different options and now he’s at the Academy. That’s great for us as a club and I think for him it’s perfect because being a manager is a job you have to learn.

“When a person like Steven Gerrard - the player he was, but more the person he is - is ready to make the steps, that’s wonderful news for football. Combining the playing experience with all the things he’ll learn from now on, that’s a bright future and is brilliant.” 

LFCTV GO: Klopp's pre-Southampton press conference