Liverpool's former head of rehabilitation at first-team level has opened up on his exit from the club in 2020 and what it is like to work under Jurgen Klopp.
Richie Partridge, who made a total of three appearances for the Reds during his playing days, returned to the club after hanging up his boots to become a member of the physiotherapy staff at Academy level before progressing to a role catering for the senior side in 2016.
It was announced at the start of 2020 that the 42-year-old would be leaving his post at the club to take up a a similar position within the Qatar national team, coinciding with the departure of the Reds' club doctor Andrew Massey who joined FIFA in March 2020.
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Towards the end of 2019, at which point he had informed Klopp of his impending exit, Partridge found himself in Qatar as the first-team squad as they participated in the FIFA Club World Cup and has recalled how the Reds' boss put him at ease over his decision to move on.
“I remember standing on the side of the pitch,” Partridge told the Irish Independent.
"Jurgen came over to me and he was just looking around at the skyline and he said ‘Ah, you’re going to be here soon.’ And I said ‘Yeah, gaffer, I wanted to speak to you about it’ and he just stopped me in my tracks and said ‘Richie, I 100 per cent totally understand why you’ve done it. Go and make the most of it because you deserve it.’ And that was it. A touch of class. He understands, like everyone at the club, that there’s life after Liverpool, that there’s life after football.”
Discussing his experience of operating alongside the Liverpool manager, the ex-Republic of Ireland youth international added: "What you see is what you get. He wears his heart on his sleeve, he speaks openly.
"Honestly, he’s one of the most genuine people you could come across if you were having an issue, be it work or family related. If you went to speak to him he would 100 per cent back you."
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