Jurgen Klopp has stressed Erik ten Hag’s job in rebuilding Manchester United is “not easy”.
Ten Hag has endured a baptism of fire in the Premier League, losing both his games in charge so far before hosting bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday.
Klopp’s side trounced United on both occasions last season, romping to a 9-0 aggregate victory and have been tipped to pile yet more misery on the former Ajax boss.
Beaten 4-0 away at Brentford last time out, ten Hag admitted he was tempted to substitute “all” of his players after a miserable first-half in west London.
Despite a promising pre-season campaign, United look to be in a crisis already, although Klopp has spoken of the difficulty ten Hag faces.
"I think for me it was easier because I didn’t come at the start of the season and didn’t have a transfer window,” said the German at Friday’s pre-match press conference.
"In England, people tend to say ‘it’s not his team’ but I actually thought from day one it was my team, so I felt responsible for all the performances.
"Now you can’t really compare it, they are different times. My arrival was seven years ago. It’s a long time in football, a lot of things have changed.
"It’s not easy, especially when you have to rebuild."
