If Leeds United are looking for positive references for their potential next manager candidates then reported target Daniel Farke may have the most impressive in the form of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
The former Norwich City manager is said to be on Leeds' shortlist to be next Whites boss after the decision was made for Sam Allardyce not to continue in the role following relegation from the Premier League. And as other touted candidates seemingly look elsewhere, Farke is emerging as a leading candidate for Leeds.
And if Leeds' decision-markers need a slight bit of encouragement for the appointment of the German, they may look no further than Liverpool boss Klopp, who has been full of praise for his fellow countryman over the years. In fact, Klopp named Farke alongside Pep Guardiola as one of two people he would choose to be stranded on a desert island with.
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Taking part in a Q&A with Sky Sports, the Reds boss said: “That’s a horrible scenario. Only the three of us? I think I would go for Pep [Guardiola] and Daniel Farke. I like Daniel a lot, he’s a really good guy.
“I think Pep is pretty inspiring and we could talk about different things and not just football. I don’t know if any of us have the skills to get off the desert island. I’d have to think who could do that, probably Sean Dyche. He looks like he could find a way out.”
The two German coaches have become pretty synonymous with one another since Farke's move to England from Dortmund II to join Norwich. But the truth is the pair have never actually worked together, with Farke starting his role as head coach of the Bundesliga club's second string just months after Klopp departed.
Nevertheless, that has not stopped a clear mutual respect between the pair, with Farke praising Klopp for opening doors for German coaches in the past. Equally, Klopp has proven himself an admirer of Farke and his coaching principles.
Speaking ahead of clashes with his Norwich side in the past, Klopp has said: “I know how good they are and how great a job Daniel Farke is doing there. They believe in his work and the project and you can see that.
"What I really admire is that they [Norwich] stick to their principles, that they do what they do. This game against us [on the opening day] is a very good example I think for the whole Norwich City season: really good football, super coaching, you can see all the patterns on the pitch, you can see all the movements from the training ground, [they are] very confident.
“Yes, they want to stay in the Premier League – that’s still possible, difficult but possible – but even if not you can see the transfers they made in the winter. They are all already with the perspective for where they will be next season, they will have a strong side again, nobody questions Daniel Farke for super reasons because he is doing an incredible job."
